Shades Of Danger
by VegetaGokuLover
Summary: Vegeta keeps having a reoccurring nightmare. He doesn't tell anyone but Goku..and that night, someone attempts murder..Please review! This fic is for a contest! ***COMPLETE***
1. CAUTION: Keep out of reach of children

Hey everyone! This fanfic is for a contest that I'm hoping to win. Please review! I have to know if it's good!

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~*~

::::[I'm coming Vegeta..]::::

The proud prince could no longer stand the cold chill that ran down his spine.. He ran away from the taunting voice. He ran and ran, and not once dared to look back.. 

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::::[You can't escape me.. there's no way you'll live..]::::

Vegeta clenched his fists in simmering anger and kept running. Despite his stubborn pride, he knew deep within himself that he couldn't stand and wait for.. Whoever is was to get him. Something about that voice.. Was somewhat familiar..

A cold, high pitched laugh filled the hot humid air. ::::_[What's wrong? You know that you'll die, or you know who I am?]::::_

A gold aura sparkled around Vegeta. What _was _wrong with him? The royal super saiyan had no thoughts of dying.. and he didn't know who the hell the voice was. Then, why was he running away?

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::::[Aww, it pains me to know you don't remember me.. you know perfectly well who I am.]:::: The degree of the coldness of the voice was frightening now. Vegeta kept running; didn't look back. His legs subconsciously kept moving foward.. though his burning desire to stop. Sweat poured down his face, and yet, some other liquid was running down his cheeks as well... blood?.. He ran his gloved hand down his face to see what it was..the results somewhat startled him. It wasn't red. It was, in fact, colorless. It was.. tears?! But why? Why was he crying? He never ever cried before.. except, of coarse, all those distant years on Planet Namek.

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::::[I've had fun Vegeta.. but now I'm afraid I'll have to finish you..]::::

"No!!" Vegeta's aura now was enormous. Static ran up and down his body; signifying that he was now super saiyan level two. 

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::::[I must admit, you've definitely improved.. but, it's nothing I can't handle.. now, to die..]:::: 

Vegeta felt hot breath on the back of his neck..he turned around only to see- absolutely nothing. He cursed at himself from his disability of not seeing his pursuer. 

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::::[Die...]:::: The taunting voice said for the last and final time. 

A ki blast ripped through the black nothingness and hit the prince who was off-guard. The blast's heat burned Vegeta's flesh. A coursing singe of pain ran up and down his back. His stomach exploded with ache, and his head erupted with nausea. He let out a blood-curdling scream and quickly everything went black...:::: 

~*~

"NO!" 

Vegeta woke up abruptly, and sat up immediately. He clenched his fists and slammed them down on the bed sheet.. how many times in one week can you have the same nightmare? Vegeta looked over at his mate, who apparently for some bizarre reason, hadn't woken up from Vegeta's shouting. The prince sighed, totally exhausted. Hell, he hadn't slept much in days.. the result of the nightmare waking him up every single night. How much more could he take? Bulma had noticed the dark circles around his eyes, and didn't like it one bit. She was worried about him; concerned even. Everyone had been cautious around Vegeta.. knowing that since he hadn't been very patient lately, (when has he ever been patient?), not to anger him the best they could. 

Vegeta slowly got up from the bed and cringed angrily when a slight noise interrupted the silence that the room held. It sounded like an evil, taunting laugh... His eyes darted from across the room to the hallway.. nothing. Vegeta cursed angrily to himself. He must've been hearing things. After all, it was midnight, and the prince's fatigue didn't make matters any better. Vegeta walked across the room silently, ignoring the noises of the carpet crunching beneath him. Damn! Goku's instant transmission technique would've been helpful right then, but Vegeta quickly discarded the thought and found himself out of the room. He opened the front door carefully and ascended out into the cold night. As soon as he stepped outside, he shivered. Vegeta grunted to himself at how seemingly weak he was getting. He paid no mind though, because he had a destination, and he was going to follow it. 

***

Every night now the saiyan prince would go to a distant cliff and just sit there for hours on end. Thinking about life, about Goku, and especially about the nightmare. It was somewhat peaceful in the quiet haven--too peaceful in fact. He was used to the threat of the dream, the cries of the enraged onna, and all the pressures of everything that was happening in his life. In less than two weeks, a fighting tournament would take place, and all the Z fighters had wanted to participate. Vegeta knew what this meant.. intense training, and a chance to beat 'Kakarot'. _Kakarot..._the name that had cursed his existence and damaged his pride. Although the memories of the low-class warrior defeating Frieza and beating himself remained in his mind, Vegeta couldn't help but feel something for his rival.. a weird sense of.. friendship. The type of friendship and bond that only the two last survivors of a warrior race could feel.. but nothing beyond the ordinary. Of coarse, with his die-hard pride, he would never reveal any source of emotion to Goku; besides hatred. Vegeta sighed, as he looked onto the stars. How peaceful it was.. the stars twinkling above him, and all that mattered was himself, and nothing else. A slight shudder in the bushes, awakened him from his thoughts. Vegeta's eyes darted across the bush, knowing that whatever was in there, he'd have to fight.. maybe he was being paranoid, but he could thank his damned childhood for that. 

"Who's there?" His voice ruptured the quiet night. Now he definitely knew he was being paranoid.. for all he knew, it could've been some weak animal trotting through the bush. But what could produce that sound? Vegeta stroke a fighting pose, extending both hands into fists. A foot reached out of the thick leaves, and so did a hand--

"Kakarot?"

Goku's familiar orange gi stuck out from the darkness. "Oh.. hey Vegeta!"

"What the hell are you doing here?" 

Startled by Vegeta's tone of voice, Goku smiled his famous 'Son Grin' and rubbed the back of his head. "Well, ChiChi threw me out of the house.. and I sensed you here, so I decided to come.." Vegeta grunted in reply, and looked away when Goku sat down beside him. 

"Why'd she throw you out?"

"Huh?"

"Why did the onna throw you out?" 

"Oh,.. I went to get a midnight snack, and I woke ChiChi up, and she got mad at me.." 

"Is that all?" Vegeta replied, slightly disappointed that there hadn't been any more action. 

"Yeah.."

Silence. 

"Vegeta..."

"What do you want?"

"Can I ask you something?.." Goku's face was filled with concern. His eyes looked serious, one of the only rare times he _was_ serious. 

"As long as it doesn't waste my time.." Vegeta gritted his teeth in anger. Why did it have to be Goku who had sprang from the bush? He would've taken anyone else.. heck, he would've rather talked with Captain Ginyu..

"Well, we're all worried about you.."

"Why?" Vegeta practically mumbled, not caring whether or not his question had come out very withdrawn.

"You've been really angry lately.. is something wrong? Something you're not telling anyone?" 

Hatred spilled into Vegeta's eyes. "You wouldn't understand Kakarot...YOU WOULDN'T UNDERSTAND!" Vegeta stood up abruptly; walking away from the scene as quick as possible. Goku followed intently, and using his instant transmission, cut off the prince before he could take to the air. "What's wrong Vegeta? Is something troubling you? Can anybody help?" "No! Nobody can help! Just leave me alone!" Vegeta took off to the air, turning super saiyan to gather more speed. He would've succeeded in his get-away, but an arm grabbed his leg before he could've gotten any farther. "What did I just tell you? Leave me be!!" Angst filled his voice and he struggled hard to get out of Goku's grasp. "No Vegeta! I have to find out what's wrong with you!" Goku's stare softened, and so did his ki, as he dropped out of his super saiyan form. "You can tell me.. I won't laugh or tease you.." Vegeta shook his head, but as non-stubbornly as he could, returned to normal, and returned to the ground beneath him. "Will you tell me now?" Goku asked softly, but kindly. How Goku could get him to tell anything was something to be rivaled with. Another thing Goku beat him at..

"Fine Kakarot, 'if I must tell you..'" Vegeta crossed his arms, looking away, and not wanting to keep eye contact with the other saiyan at all. He sighed, not ever having to explain this to anyone before. 

"Over the past few days, I've been having this stupid nightmare.."

"A nightmare?"

"Let me explain baka!," he continued, "There's this unmistakably cold voice.. I don't know to who it belongs to, but.. the voice says I know who it is, and that it wants to kill me.. and at the end of my 'dream', it actually does kill me.." 

"Whoa.. it says you know who it is?" 

Vegeta nodded furiously, hating the idea he had just told his rival what had been bothering him. Goku nodded, rubbing his chin in thought. "Well, I'm sure that nightmare doesn't mean anything-" 

"No Kakarot! It _does_ mean something! Don't you see? I've been having that damn nightmare for weeks!" 

Goku immediately stopped talking, and once again he was deep in thought. "Well Vegeta, I think that the dream is trying to tell you something.. pay close attention to it, okay?" Vegeta nodded, and looked away.

"I have to go,.. ChiChi probably wants me back.." Goku smiled one last time and ascended off into the air. 

"Bye Vegeta!" With those last words, the younger saiyan flew off into the tainted horizon. Vegeta dusted off some dirt that had stained his gi while he had sat on the ground. 

"Bye.. Kakarot.." He whispered, and for some strange reason, it felt like it was final. 

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Did you like it? PLEASE review! I have to see if it's good enough! 


	2. May cause drowsiness and headache

Sorry for the slow update!! Now with school and soccer practice, it'll be hard to update, but I promise I'll do it every week. Enjoy! Thanks so much for the reviews!

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After a few more moments of peace and quiet, Vegeta took off into the air and wished that life could've been peaceful all the time. But hell, how could that happen? How could you live a peaceful life with a rival that always beats you, and a dream that always haunts you? He tightened his fists and grimaced with anger. He couldn't believe he had told 'Kakarot' his nightmare.. his hated rival, and he had told him something that never crossed his lips. Was he going crazy? Or maybe.. he was just going soft. 

The prince soared through the whole West City, and not even a single light was on. The darkness was somewhat uncomfortable, and the silence was even more strange. Why did it have to be so damn quiet? Trying to ignore the darkness and the absence of sound, Vegeta continued flying toward his home. The wind roared against his body, making shivers run through his back. As if he wasn't weak enough.. now he shivered when the wind made him cold? He needed some serious training..

***

A thud sounded on the ground as Vegeta's boots landed on the soft earth. His eyes couldn't help but overlook the Gravity Room that stood perfectly well alone on the right of the lawn.. He smirked and found himself walking to the front door of the 'Room. A strange feeling erupted into the prince's mouth right then.. he tasted a bitter taste of something.. he spat at the grass, and was shocked at what it was. It was.. blood?! He gasped, his eyes widened in shock. What had caused him to spit out blood? A cold nervous sweat ran down his forehead, and Vegeta wiped it away in frustration. The pure signs of weakness and fear; how pathetic. Deciding to ignore the paranoia that filled his heart, he hastily opened the door that led inside the Gravity Room. 

***

He stumbled over to the controls, and put the room into 500x gravity. Instantly he fell down to the rough floor, scraping up his arms a bit. He gritted his teeth and pulled his arms in front of him. Why was this happening?! He never had a problem with 500x gravity! What was wrong with him? He pushed himself up, supporting his weight on his arms, and gradually sat up, now leaning on his shoulders. His breath was short, his lungs shouted for air. Blood seeped out of his mouth, as he coughed from the lack of air supply. Panic swept over him.. something wasn't right. Was he sick? Maybe he had finally caught a damn human sickness.. or maybe it was something else.. His sensitive saiyan senses were shockingly alert, as if danger was on the way, and was possibly going to overcome him. All the prince knew, was that he _felt _sick. It felt like his whole world was turning into a black hole, sucking up anything and everything. What the hell was happening? The emotions and feelings that he was feeling was surely familiar.. but how? When he had ever felt like _this_? Then.. the realization hit him like Goku's fists had just punched his face.. he had felt this before in his nightmare.. this is exactly what he was feeling..

***

Goku tossed and turned in his bed, unable to shut his eyes, let alone to get a decent night of rest. His eyelids sagged with fatigue, almost closing shut, but jerking themselves open again. What was wrong? He had no idea what was keeping him up.. it was a quiet December night, the first night of December in fact, and everything should've been in peaceful bliss.. except it wasn't. His saiyan senses were observant, watching every single thing that moved outside, hearing every noise that sounded in the house.. but why? Why was he so alert? He sighed, turning his head over to his beautiful wife. He watched as her slender stomach heaved up and down under the blanket; a smile set on her face. Goku could've laughed; why couldn't she smile when she was awake too? 

A twig snapped in the darkness of the wild, and Goku twisted his head to see the outside. He moaned at his own suspicions.. it had only been a squirrel. He chuckled softly and continued to look out at the dark stretch of woods that seemed to go on forever.. If only he knew what dangers and troubles awaited just beyond the forest.. a couple of miles to the east, turn to the left, and down a lawn.. inside the Gravity Room at Capsule Corporation. 

***

Vegeta finally supported his entire weight on his legs, standing up, but still struggling against the heavy gravity. Why did the gravity effect him so much? Why was he feeling so sick, and so revolted? Why was he so alert, and spitting out blood? And the most important question of all.. why was he feeling the exact emotions he felt in his nightmares? Fear.. pain.. paranoia.. all those and more he was experiencing.. but.. WHY?! Vegeta cried out with rage, an aura exploded around him making the room light up with gold. Blue static circled around the saiyan, signifying his ascendance to the second level. The prince gasped for air, the energy he had let out had been too much.. or was it the fact that he was suffering something that he had never been through? The stubborn saiyan fell onto one knee, as pain swept over his eyes. An excruciating pain ran through his neck, and Vegeta instantly fell to the floor, blood darted down his face. His eyes focused and re-focused back and forth.. until everything around him was blurry. He didn't even dare look back, for he knew there was another presence in the room. Despite the pain he was feeling, his ears picked up the last words he would hear for a long time..

"Hello.. Vegeta.." 

***

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RING RING!

"Damn it.." Bulma opened her eyes and squinted them a bit when nothing but darkness filled them. She looked over at her annoying alarm clock and noticed it had only been a few hours past midnight.. 

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"That damn alarm clock had to wake me up at 4:00 in the morning?" The blue-haired scientist ran her hands over her eyes, trying to wipe away the exhaustion away from them, but having no success. She instantly sat up when she noticed her mate wasn't sleeping soundlessly next to her. 

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"He must be in the Gravity Room.." 

Still, the thought of him training at this hour.. even with the fact of a tournament in a few weeks, it was absurd to stay up at this hour! She leapt to her feet, and opened her door in alarm. Something was wrong.. very wrong.. She felt in in the pit of her stomach.. Her bare feet scraped along the freezing grass, making her legs almost stiff with numbness. But nothing would stop her from checking if her husband was alright. Just a few more inches.. Bulma knew that Vegeta would hate it if she opened the door and reset the gravity, but sometimes desperate times, called for desperate measures. Grasping the handle tightly, she pushed the door, and let it sway open. Bulma covered her hand over her mouth, trying to stifle a scream. Inside, blood plastered all over the walls, and a single lone body, lay at a heap on the floor.

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	3. Extremely Flammable

Hey! It's me again! Sorry about the long wait.. school, soccer practice, soccer games, and no time are to blame. But I promise I'll work on the chapters asap! Keep up the reviews! Their the only inspiration I have! Anyway, enjoy!

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Red and blue lights filled into the forest; something was happening just a couple miles away. Goku sat up in panic, as a dreadful feeling came over at the pit of his stomach. Something was happening at Capsule Corp.. But what? Was their a fire? Was their a burglar? No.. surely Vegeta and Trunks would've been able to handle that.. Goku, in an instant, grabbed the covers and thrust them over his side. He struggled onto his feet, and lifted two fingers onto the center of his forehead. Everything vanished in front of eyes, and the scene changed to the familiar grounds of Capsule Corp. What he saw was something he least expected..

About 10 police cars crowded over the Gravity Room, an ambulance was making its way up the lawn, and a devastated Bulma and Trunks were crying in the corner, holding on to each other for comfort. Goku immediately ran over to them, already feeling a tight knot form in his throat. 

"Bulma! What happened?!" He yelled, concern exploded into his voice. 

Tears tumbled down the woman's cheeks, and her blue eyes were littered with pain. 

"Someone... some.. one.. almost.. killed.. Vegeta.." 

"What?! Who?" 

Bulma shook her head in confusion, as her sobs of pain exploded from her throat. "I.. don't.. know.." She finally replied, angst and fear very evident in her voice. Her eyes had dark rings under them, much like the ones Vegeta were starting to form. Goku's eyes narrowed softly, but he couldn't help the seething anger that was boiling up inside of him. Who ever did this.. was going to pay with their life.. and Goku was going to make sure of that.. Damn! Who did this? And why? Who had the power to take down the prince? Goku tightened his fists, and his eyes were already watering up in tears. He fell onto his knees in grief, staring straight at the ground. His conscience was ready burst with guilt.. if only he had stayed with Vegeta on that cliff.. if only he hadn't left him alone.. 

The stretcher came out of the Gravity Room, an all-too familiar body lay limp, helplessly covered in crimson, thick blood. Goku almost fainted at the sight of it all, but felt he had to look as the saiyan was pulled into the back of the ambulance. The doors were still open, signaling for Bulma and Trunks to come into it. Bulma looked down at her shocked son, and pushed him forward, both of them walking slowly to the outstretched doors. Goku saw the look in Bulma's eyes as the doors closed, and the vehicle zoomed out of sight. The look, was only something Goku had seen very rarely, but he knew it all too well. He had seen it only a couple times, on the looks of great warriors, but never someone as innocent and as cheerful as Bulma. It made the whole experience seem worse than it actually was.. the look, -- he had seen it when Krillin was being lifted into the air by the tyrant Frieza.. when Piccolo jumped in front of Goku, and got shot by Frieza's blast.. when Vegeta said his final dramatic words, and had died telling him to destroy the tyrant,.. when Gohan had given up, knowing that all was lost against Cell,.. and finally, when Vegeta was telling Goku about his dream on that cliff.. that look. The look of fear, absolute terror and pain. Helplessness.. complete and total inability to control the situation.. that the situation was fatal. Maybe even Goku himself, had that look on his eyes once.. but there was no telling that Bulma had just given that glance of despair, just before the ambulance left. 

The grass swayed peacefully as the wind seemed to pick it up. The darkness of the night was puzzling, and the quiet was so calm, it scared Goku immensely. How the hell could it be so quiet, if someone almost murdered Vegeta? Why hadn't Vegeta cried out in pain, or gotten out of the Gravity Room before he was attacked? Something must've happened to the prince.. Goku continued to sit on his knees; his hands slung over his head, as his eyes stared harshly at the ground. And then.. the strong saiyan remembered.. Someone, -- or some_thing _had killed Vegeta in his nightmare.. someone that Vegeta knew, but wasn't able to recognize.. Goku's eyes widened in realization and shock. The older saiyan prince knew that his dream was a warning, not just a nightmare! No wonder Vegeta hadn't been able to sleep for weeks, no wonder he was so uptight when they were discussing it on the mountain cliff, no wonder he told Goku he wouldn't understand! Goku sighed, his breath was becoming very short for some in ordinate reason.. maybe he was being put under a lot of stress. The type that only anyone could've dreamed of.. 

His eyes drifted off to the Gravity Room, where police officers and detectives were now leaving the sight with the blood samples, and finger prints. Police cars were steadily leaving the driveway; tire tracks plagued the once clean, cut lawn. Now, all that was left near the Gravity Room, was the great warrior Goku. The great warrior that had defeat many foes, aging to several years back -- Raditz, Nappa, Frieza, Cell, Buu,.. and yes, even Vegeta. Vegeta, the worst of enemies, and the best of friends. Vegeta, who was talking about his nightmare and being completely serious. Vegeta, who was almost murdered exactly after Goku had flown away... The great warrior Goku, now had a mission. Whoever had caused this, whoever had done this gruesome attack, was going to pay. Rage filled the pure saiyan's heart as he envisioned Vegeta's pure look of agony as his attacker gave the final blow.. Goku slammed his clenched fist down on the freezing grass. He once more glanced over at the Gravity Room.. sitting perfectly still, but with the door open, and the bitter aroma of blood.. the bitter feeling of pain.. and the bitter memory of an evil far to dangerous for Goku to even think of. All that the saiyan could wait for, was when Vegeta woke up, and told evidence of who the cold killer could be. 


	4. DANGER: KEEP OUT

Hey! I'm back with another chapter! Thanks for the reviews.. this chapter will be very long, and I'll probably update in a couple of days, or a week. Oh, and Noctorro reviewed with an interesting point.. the reason Goku wanted the 'killer' to pay with his life, is because he blamed so much of the guilt on himself. He'll chill once a couple of days pass.. well, enjoy this chapter! It has a lot of important details that are very significant to the climax and the rest of the story. 

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The wind continued to brush against his orange gi, giving it a freezing atmosphere. Goku's eyes were still fixed at the frozen grass; as if his pupils were unable to move by some unnatural force. Pain was still clawing at the pit of his stomach, practically numbing his mental state. The saiyan had no idea what to do next; how long the prince would be unconscious. He had lost tremendous amounts of blood; and even for a saiyan it would take long to recover. The bitter aroma of blood still invaded his nostrils, and it was sickening. Just to think.. a murder took place just a couple of feet away..

An unnerving feeling came over him just then; that there was something he could do. But what? Goku couldn't sense any unfamiliar ki; let alone one of a cold murderer. It wasn't like Goku could go catch the killer.. but then, the realization dawned on him. The only thing he could do besides wait, was go visit the prince. Maybe he could even calm down Bulma and Trunks a little; get them to relax. With this new determination and desire, he found himself standing on his two feet, already putting two fingers at the center of his forehead. 

Bulma sat on the chair, unable to move anything at all. Her whole body felt numb, but she didn't know if it was because it was cold, or because of the utter shock she possessed. Maybe both.. She looked despairingly at her young son. How heavenly he looked in the light; his purplish pink hair waving with every shudder he gave, his eyes so filled with tears it made his face shimmer with light. Tears were already seeping through her eyelids again.. it wasn't fair. All of this had come too fast, -- Vegeta's blood everywhere, hardly any pulse, his arm was almost dislocated from his joints. All this, and having to wake up her innocent son, having to corrupt him to pain, sadness and fear. It just wasn't fair! How the hell could this happen? To her husband.. the prince of a warrior race.. second to Goku in strength, but still the most powerful fighter in the universe. She cried painfully; her sobs echoing in the deserted hallway. The only things that filled into her ears were the consistent beeping noises of the machines that tried to keep Vegeta's life in order. The doctors, trying desperately to try and save his life without it slipping into the horrors of death. The fear she was feeling pounded into her heart; making every breath she took a struggle to keep her sanity. 

Footsteps ran down the hallway, as if in a sudden hurry. Despite her frustration at the moment, the blue-haired woman couldn't help but let curiosity take over, and her head snapped up to look. A familiar orange carroty colored gi appeared in front of her astounded eyes -- She felt like laughing. How many years had she known Goku and still hadn't gotten used to the Instant Transmission? Bulma looked straight up into his onyx eyes; how pleasant they were. No matter how difficult the situation seemed to be, Goku always had a defiant look in his eyes; with a little hint of optimism despite what was happening. The stubborn eyes narrowed slightly, as if analyzing Bulma's emotions. Words tried to escape from her lips, but sound was impossible. Distress was too involved in her heart to make any form of conversation. 

"Hi.. Bulma.." 

His voice had somewhat snapped her out of the daze she was in; but then again, only Goku could pull off something like that. The almost widowed scientist fought back tears that were threatening to fall out; and hell, how easily and how much she wanted just to let go, just to cry until she couldn't anymore. But the past had taught her otherwise; she had to be strong. A sigh escaped her parched throat, and she finally tried to talk. 

"Who did this.. Goku?"

Her voice faltered, half mixed with panic and sorrow beyond reason. Sobs and gasps penetrated her body until it shook uncontrollably. Paranoia now dulled her senses, everything was getting blurry because of the tears that watered her pupils. 

Goku felt the guilt start to claw at his heart and it was beginning to get the better of him. No! He had to stop blaming himself.. after all, he didn't know Vegeta would get murdered.. or_ did _he? Goku shook his head and tried to shake off the horrifying visions, and tried to answer Bulma's difficult question. He took a deep breath. 

"I don't know Bulma.. but I'm going to figure it out.." 

Damn! Why was his voice so filled with rage? He needed to chill.. to calm down. But it felt as if something was blocking his return to his common sense. Whimpers could be heard now from not only Bulma, but Trunks as well. He must've been overhearing the whole conversation contently, because until now, he hadn't uttered a single word. 

"M-.. Mr. Goku.. I-is.. My dad gonna be ok?"

Goku had heard this exact same tone of voice from Trunks before.. perhaps when the news of Vegeta's death from Buu was too much for him to bear.. yes, that was definitely it. He remembered Trunks' hard time to focus on the task ahead -- fusion. Goku clenched his fist and he felt his muscles tighten with hatred, yet calmness at the same time. A wry smile formed on the full-blooded saiyan's lips. 

"Of coarse Trunks.. your father's a pretty tough guy. He wouldn't die from small injuries like this.." Goku wished he could've convinced himself of the statement he had just said.. His eyes drifted from the small boy, to the clever Bulma. Her lips quivered with anxiety; twinges of her eyes and mouth were forming. Goku knew what he had to tell her, and at least it would help her a lot. 

"Bulma.. go home.."

Once again, the daze she was caught up in disappeared. Her pupils contracted as she thought over the statement the saiyan just made. Her lips stopped quivering, her eyes stopped watering, and her body stopped shaking. A very exhausted smile gave way onto her face, making her look ten times more tired. 

"Alright.. I'll.. g-go.. home.." 

Goku nodded; Bulma was a very clever person indeed. Goku knew she understood the seriousness of the circumstances that were ahead. Without anymore words, gasps, or sobs, Trunks gradually took hold of his mother, and slipped her behind his back. They both, without further hesitation, ascended into the sky getting farther away every second that passed. The saiyan breathed a sigh of relief; finally maybe Bulma and her son could relax.. at least for the moment. 

The silence was subtle now.. not one sound punctured the stillness and tranquility of the moment. Even though the thought of the close murder stayed fresh in his mind, everything was peaceful now. Finally, for what seemed like eternity everything was so calm.. _too_ calm. 

A door slammed shut loudly, making Goku jump. He looked into the condescending hallway where a man with a white, plain coat was walking hurriedly towards Goku. Goku stood up, a frightening excitement tearing up his mind. The man, who was identified to be Mr. Johnson, (Goku read his name tag that was in his left breast pocket), stood firm and strong as he was about to bare the news. 

"Where is Bulma and her son?" 

Goku stood stiff as well, ready to answer any question that was directed towards him. 

"They went home.. how is Vegeta?" 

Mr. Johnson's glasses sparkled with insolence. 

"I'm sorry.. I can only tell that to Ms. Briefs and Trunks.." 

"No! You don't understand! I'm Vegeta's.. friend. Tell me please.. I have to know how he's doing." 

The doctor shook his head, holding up his hand in protest. 

"I'm sorry mister.. you don't have any proof that you even know Vegeta. Now, I'm afraid I will ask you to leave-" 

"No! Damnit! You tell me right now how he's doing or suffer the consequences!!" 

Goku raised his clenched fist in anger, and was about to punch when -- 

He saw the fear and helplessness of the doctors eyes.. the utter stunned expression on his face. Goku lowered his fist, his face lessening with contempt. He couldn't believe what he was about to do.. was he really losing it? Realization came over him.. he was about to hurt an innocent person! He backed away in shock.. the doctor slowly gaining his breath back. 

Goku ran towards Mr. Johnson, a look of total apology outlining his features. 

"I'm so sorry! I.. I've been in a lot of stress lately.. are you ok?" 

The doctor gave Goku a look of agony and abhorrence. 

"L.. l.. listen sir.. I don't know who the hell you are, but fine I'll tell you what happened to my patient. He almost dislocated his right arm.. it's going to be injured for awhile. The amount of blood loss is amazing.. the fact that this guy is even alive is a miracle. The number of broken bones count up to 15.. a quantity of his ribs are fractured, his left ankle is totally broken, and mainly his shoulder is busted. But.. he_ will _be fine after a couple of months." 

Goku smiled gratefully. His instincts had been right.. Vegeta was going to live after all. 

"There is something puzzling you should know.." 

Goku's mind snapped back from his thoughts. 

"Yeah?" 

"The time of the attempted murder happened around 12:13 am.. it's puzzling to think this man actually managed to stay alive four hours later.. he must have a very strong will. Either that, or he had a strong desire to live." 

Another grin took residence on the saiyan's lips. Vegeta had been strong alright.. 

***

Death.. he had almost experienced death. The shadows that would one day consume everyone, almost consumed him. The light at the end of the tunnel.. it had all felt so close. Cloudy figures appeared in front of him, shattering him from the state of unconsciousness that he held. He noticed eyes were on him and his vision was very blurry.. a person was beginning to become clearer.. A familiar orange gi penetrated from the murkiness.. a voice sounded from the darkness. 

"Vegeta?!" 


	5. No pain, No gain

Hey! A quick update, huh? Anyways, thanks for the reviews noctorro and Carrots and Veggies! They mean a lot to me.. Noctorro, thanks so much for saying I write good.. Carrots and Veggies, you know who the killer is? *smirks* Gina figured it out too.. don't tell anyone! It'd ruin the suspense.. oh, and thanks for the reviews! I'll review your fanfic when you update next! Dynishra, you really love my story? I love yours too! Great job with your poems and stories.. And Chuquita, aren't you dying to know if Veggie will know who the murderer is? Mwhaha.. the suspense is killing me too.. thanks for being a loyal reviewer so far! Ssjgoddesschico, you told me to update soon, so I am! I hope you like this chapter! Sholio, your dying for this chapter, huh? I knew you would be.. *smirks* 

The real attention should go to Venni. Ok, first of all, I'm not mad at your review. I'm perfectly fine with it, but let's just get things straight. If there's any pairings here, it's Bulma and Vegeta. And, read the genres on this fanfic! Is anyone in there romance? I don't think so.. Bulma left the hospital because she knew if she stayed she would eventually go into shock. (You know the kind where you can't move, can't speak, you know a mental and physical state.) Anyway, Goku isn't being selfish! He does care about Vegeta, but only as a friend.. he's not only trying to see if Vegeta's okay just because he feels guilty.. anyone can see that! Well, I'm glad you like the fic, but just don't ever think of this as a Vegeta/Goku pairing, or that there's any romance between them at all. 

I hope you enjoy this chapter! It's going to be really long.. a lot of events happen here.. pay attention to everything. You might think of this as too many things happening at once, but it'll all make sense and unwind at the end. Oh, and as for updating this fic, I will update this every Sunday.. or, sometimes twice a week, it depends. 

___________________________________________________________________________________

Nausea exploded into his head, making his state almost fall back into unconsciousness. His eyelids fluttered open and closed, and they finally made a decision. Cloudy, blurry figures were now becoming clearer; signifying that his state was almost back to normal. A twinge of absolute pain ran through his stomach, echoing into ribs and his ankle. What the hell had happened? Everything was a blur.. he was in the Gravity Room, training.. the blood, the voice.. the pain.. punches stabbed into his whole body and he finally gave into the black that was threatening to over come him.. He had almost died. The idea scared the shit out of him. He would never admit this to anyone, but for one of the first times in his life, he was actually scared. 

"Vegeta?! Are you okay?" 

That voice.. it was somewhat comforting. He hadn't heard a voice in.. in.. how long had it been? Months? A year?.. An eternity? Or at least that's what it felt like.. He looked up, his eyes still closed half-way, signifying that he was still feeling pain. 

"Yes.. I- .I'm ..fine.."

Damn.. and even in his near death experience he had to be stubborn. But what did he expect? What _could_ he expect? Saiyans were a race that were brilliant fighters, and very stubborn nonetheless. Saiyans were a race that could survive harsh conditions; they didn't die that easily. And yet, right at the very week, the prince of that race almost died.. 

Goku's eyes narrowed slightly, he hated seeing Vegeta like this. His face was scraped up with cuts; gashes of blood still took residence on his arms. His stomach was practically cut open, if not for the stitches that banded the whole thing together. His leg.. so severely damaged, it was nauseating to look at.. -- his ankle was hanging on merely by a thread of skin. Goku couldn't help but clench his fists in anger.. who the hell would do this? 

The prince looked around the small hospital room, his pupils moving with every second that passed. He grunted softly.. the room wasn't much to say the least. The roof looked so uncomfortable it might've caved in. But that wasn't what caught his interest right then.. it was the objects that were sitting in the corner of room, on a small table. It was decorated with flowers, cards, teddy bears, and most importantly to a saiyan appetite, candy. It would've been inviting.. for him right then and there to engulf the chocolate and not care about his integrity. Oh hell, he was starving. His eyes rested on his rival once more, and a cold, hard look washed over them. 

"Kakarot.." 

The silence broke off, as the room echoed with Vegeta's call. Goku looked down on him, now pulling up a chair that sat next to the bed. 

"Yeah?.." 

"How long have I been in this state?" 

Goku's relaxed face now broke into a serious frown. 

"I dunno.. maybe about 10 days.." 

Vegeta opened his eyes, wide with shock. 10 days?.. He had been out cold for ten days?! The idea seemed foolish.. but then again, how could the prince know how long he had been out? 

"Kakarot.. tell me everything that happened when.. you found out I was...was.." 

He couldn't finish.. how could he bring himself to say that he was almost murdered? It left a big dent in his unbridled pride, and the memory of it almost dulled his senses. Goku understood the prince's predicament very well.. it wasn't easy getting back on track after a big event trashed your life. 

"Well.. I went over to Capsule Corp because I sensed that something was wrong. When I got there, Trunks and Bulma were outside, crying and feeling sad.. I.. I saw the doctors getting you on a stretcher and taking you away. Bulma and Trunks went to the ambulance too.. and I followed. I told Bulma she shouldn't be there, so they both left.. so, as the days passed, everyone have been giving you flowers and stuff. Krillin.. Gohan.. Goten.. everyone. Especially Bulma and Trunks.. their really worried about you. All we know about the 'murder', is the time it happened.. it happened at 12:13, and-" 

"Damnit baka.. I don't care what time it happened! Do you know anything else about what happened to me or not?" 

Goku lessened his tensed features and breathed a sigh. 

"Not really Vegeta.. can I ask you something? It's really important.." 

Vegeta looked away, not caring what the hell Goku was about to say. Even though the excitement of the question was exhilarating him beyond question. 

"Fine Kakarot.. but don't waste my time.." 

Goku felt this excitement stab at his heart, for this was the question he was dying to find out..

He took a deep breath, as the air calmed him. 

"Vegeta.. do you remember who almost murdered you?" 

Vegeta's whole body felt like it exploded with remorse. His head cracked with pain, and his heart ripped into a million pieces. He tried to remember.. remember the horrific details of that day.. the training.. something wasn't right.. the blood washing over his face.. the punches that punctured his ribs and ankle.. his memories flashed over his mind.. and then.. there was an unbelievably strong ki.. 

The prince grimaced in pain of the memories that dulled his senses, making his answer to his rival near to impossible. He looked up, his eyes still retracting with paranoia. The hurt that bathed his eyes was so distinctive, that it flooded the rest of his emotions with pain. He looked up, looking at the innocent younger saiyan straight in the eye, a tortured look radiating from them. 

"I.. don't... remember.. Kakarot.."

Those four words echoed in the room, making an effect as if the room was empty. The words that escaped from the prince's lips, were those that were going to make a difference to something. And now, it definitely made a difference to Goku's and the prince's lives.. 

A stepping noise could be heard from down the hallway's long corridor.. and the footsteps kept coming closer.. and closer.. The door opened with an abrupt force that it startled the two saiyans. Mr. Johnson looked down at the two, a glint of rudeness shimmered on his glasses. 

"I'm sorry, but visiting hours are over.. it's 9:30 at night.." 

Goku looked over at Vegeta one last time before quickly standing up and walking towards the door. He stood there in the adolescent doorway, not wanting to leave the prince alone. Goku didn't know what to say.. how could you summarize what to say in one little phrase? But he knew he had to say something.. but what? He made an attempt to speak, but his tries failed miserably. But he had to try again.. 

"Vegeta.. be careful.."

The prince looked back at 'Kakarot', having no idea what to reply. He was at a complete loss for words.. instead of replying anything back, he merely nodded. 

The door closed loudly. 

Silence. 

The darkness caved in on him, making the nausea come back. His eyelids felt heavy, and he wanted so much just to sleep and finally get the rest he deserved. But there were so many damned questions to answer.. who the hell was the murderer? Despite all they figured out, they weren't one step closer to figuring out anything at all. They needed to find something out.. before the killer took deadly matters into his own hands.. 

***

3 HOURS LATER...

It had felt so good to give into his sleep. He had been unconscious for 240 hours, and hadn't actually gotten a good _night's_ rest. It was so relaxing to go inside the dream world.. where your away from all your emotions.. all the pain. He hadn't even had a dream in a long time.. it was mostly nightmares. And now, he could dream about everything peaceful in his life.. how comforting. That is, until he woke up...

His eyelids fluttered open, causing a headache to form on his forehead. He cringed; why did everything always have to hurt so damn bad? His eyes finally adjusted to the pitch black darkness. He looked around.. machines surrounded him, beeping constantly; kami knows why. A cold sweat protruded down his back.. what the hell was going on? That panic feeling ran through the pit of his stomach again.. as if he was right back at the Gravity Room.. getting tortured.. Vegeta looked straight at the clock that sat in front of him. It was 12:13 am.. 

__

::::[Hello Vegeta.. long time no see..]:::: 

Sweat poured down his face.. his heart beat uncontrollably.. who the hell said that?! That voice.. the voice in his nightmares!

"Where are you?" 

His own unsteady voice surprised him. Why was he so damn scared? 

::::[Ahh.. where am I? I can be everywhere Vegeta.. mostly inside your mind..]::::

"What the hell is that supposed to mean? Where are you?!" 

Fear was invading into his system now.. 

__

::::[Temper Temper..you've always been like that prince..]::::

Vegeta clenched his fist in boiling frustration; he hated the mind games that this bastard liked to play. 

"Why are you here? ANSWER ME!"

Damnit! His voice was now indefinitely filled with alarm and terror. That's exactly what he didn't want to happen..

A cold laugh pierced the air, causing shivers to go up and down the proud saiyan's spine. 

__

::::[I'm here for a good reason.. to kill you..]::::

His heart withered up with this uncanny alarm and panic. More sweat fell down his already damp face. 

"Well, if you think you can kill me, than your sourly mistaken.." 

Good.. his voice was already calming down. But.. was that a good thing or a bad? Didn't everyone go into denial when they were about to die? 

__

::::[Heh.. really? Well, I'll strike again soon.. and when I do, you won't survive again!]:::: 

Another laugh.. but this time, it was much more colder and taunting than the last. The laughter trailed on and on, filling Vegeta's ears. The prince couldn't take it anymore.. he had to shut the damn thing up! The laugh kept echoing inside his soul.. filling the very existence that was inside him. 

And then.. silence. Even the ki disappeared. Everything seemed to stand still for a second.. and then time paced fast again. 

His breath was very short, signaling that his fear became very evident when they were talking. His heart raced faster and faster with every second that passed. He didn't feel right.. shit! There it goes again with that feeling of total helplessness and dread. He couldn't take anymore of this.. he shut his eyes tightly, not wanting to take in the feeling of panic that still overtook him. Drowsiness set in until eventually he went to a dreamless sleep..

***

__

Beep.. beep.. beep.. 

Mr. Johnson glanced at his watch with total resent. It was past 3:00 in the morning, and he had to check up on any patients that might slip into comas and die in the middle of the night. Not exactly the job most people would pick.. but hell, somebody had to do it. 

__

Beep.. beep.. beep..

There it went again.. the beeping noise. What was it? It was obviously coming from one of his patient's rooms.. but who's? All of the sudden, he recognized the noise.. it was the noise of someone's heart beat thinning. He rushed out of his chair and onto the shadowy hallway. 

__

Beep.. beep.. beep.. beep.. BEEP!

Damn.. now it was getting worse. He ran all the way down the corridor; checking in and out of the rooms of patients. None.. everyone seemed to be in perfect health. Despite the fact of their conditions.. he stopped dead in his tracks. The only room he hadn't checked was the 12th room to his right.. and that was Vegeta's room. His feet kept moving forward, and he finally found himself to the 12th door. He rushed to the door knob, slowly opening it with shaking hands. The door creaked quickly opened.. and a scent filled his nostrils. 

Blood.

He looked on the floor.. a trail of blood leaked all the way to the window.. then he looked at Vegeta. An enormous gash filled his left arm; small amounts of blood still trickling down his right arm.. 

__


	6. Be careful what you wish for

Hey everyone! Another fast update.. I've had a lot of time on my hands. Thanks 'Shades Of Danger Fan', (I like your name!), I e-mailed you about five minutes ago! I hope you like this chapter! Carrots and Veggies, why does all the bad stuff happen to Veggie? I don't know... maybe because he's the main character of this fic.. Oh well; keep up with your great reviews! Teenage Saiyagirl, you think it could win a contest? Wow.. thanks! That's really nice.. Oh, btw, I love your story 'Broken Glass'! It's awesome! Update it soon! Terra, I love torturing everyone with suspense! MWHAHAHA! Thanks for the compliments.. I hope this chapter came as soon as you expected! Chuquita, O_O;; maybe one of your guesses are right.. Oh, and I'm glad to see that you noticed something about the time.. Maybe it's important. Butterfly, Suspense huh? I love suspense.. besides horror, suspense is my fav genre! Venni, I'm glad we got things sorted out. I'm also glad you like the fic! Noctorro, I'm so sorry about not reviewing your fanfic!! I reviewed again today! It seriously is a classic. Please update soon! Ssjgoddesschico, thanks so much for telling me I have a good chance! Your so nice.. And finally, Imbegaladhiel, wow. Your review was so awesome. It's the best review I've ever gotten in any of my stories.. thanks! Thanks for everything.. for saying it has to win the contest, for being put on your fav lists.. thank you! Keep up your reviews everyone! Their the only inspiration I have!

Anywho, some of your reviews say that you have no idea who the murderer is. Good! I want you all to guess until the very end! So, I have a little dare for all the reviewers,.. in every chapter, I want everyone to guess who you think the killer is. After all, in this chapter it explains everything.. how all the puzzle pieces fit into this big jigsaw. Pay close attention.. this is pretty much the best part of the story. 

Oh, btw, did anyone notice my chapter titles? Their all danger messages, or their warning you about something. I thought that was pretty cool considering the title of the fic is 'Shades Of _Danger_'. Anyway, enjoy this chapter! It's going to be really long as the saiyans figure out the mystery.. __________________________________________________________________________________

Blood. Even the name ran happiness through his heart. It was warm to the touch, and it's texture was so rich and thick. He smirked tauntingly; he loved the job of striking fear into the prince's heart. Little by little he would let him know of the mystery he himself had created. The wall was cold, seeming of the absence that the room contained. The prince used to be in this room many times, training and trying to get stronger. What a weakling. As if any of his pathetic attempts would actually work. They never have in the past, why would they now? Oh well.. you could never get anything through Vegeta's thick headed ego. His mural was almost done; now covering half of the wall. 12 feet wide across, and 13 feet length wise. How he loved paving these mind games; too bad they were almost over. That night, his fun would be over. Because the prince will be dead.. no more fun. At least he would enjoy killing the royal saiyan second by second.. he'd torture him first. Maybe rip up his skin so the crimson blood flowed down his face.. maybe drain all the blood that his body held. Ah.. how fun. He would have to wait however.. until dusk arose it's ugly head. 

***

The frosty air whipped across the saiyan's hair, making his onyx hair wave about in the fast wind. Snow was splashed around the whole forest; it was all so beautiful. A smile overtook his lips, causing happiness to spread throughout his system. Winter had been his favorite holiday, and for good reason. The Christmas spirit was so strong and it made everyone come together and forget their differences. Snow was always a dominant feature, -- he loved playing in the snow with Gohan and Goten. Making snow angels and snowmen, and of coarse, Chi Chi would be forced to play along with them. Funny; if the holiday was supposed to bring people together and forget hatred, why the hell did Vegeta almost get murdered? He shook his head, wanting to forget about the incredibly hard task that destiny laid before him. But the thoughts refused to shake out of his mind. Goku frowned, an unsettling feeling washing over his senses. Once the topic was stuck in his head, it was impossible to get out. It was like an annoying song that kept repeating in your head.. 

His feet pounded onto the hard pavement, snapping his mind and thoughts back to reality. He walked to the front door, and opened it slowly. The sound of beeps and random clicks could be heard from all around him, signaling that something major was happening. Doctors and nurses alike rushed throughout the hallways; some running up stairs, the others hurrying up the elevators. A cold chill ran down the saiyan's spine.. he hated seeing other people in a rush, especially if their rushing to save someone's life. According to all the doctors rushing to the scene, it seemed as if a very important person was almost dying.. 

"Haven't you heard? That guy.. what's his name, almost got killed _again_!"

"Oh! You must be talking about Bulma Brief's husband Vegeta.. yeah.. he must be a death magnet or something.."

"Do you know if he's in critical condition or not?" 

"I don't know.. all I know is he's badly injured.. if he goes into another coma, he could suffer from shock-" 

Goku couldn't hear anymore; his heart slammed and beat loudly across his chest. Terror ran through his system, making his palms and face sweaty. What the hell.. Vegeta almost got murdered? -- again!? This couldn't be happening! No.. Vegeta would definitely not slip into another coma.. it just wasn't possible. He couldn't! ..What happened last night? Did the killer really pay another visit? Damn! And Goku let the inevitable happen all over again? 

His knees gave out, and the saiyan fell to the floor unexpectedly. Here it went again.. the feeling of absolute dread and guilt. When would this all be over? Goku had probably just faced more reality in the past few days than most people would ever face in a lifetime.. it was too much. The pressure and stress compressed his heart, making it feel as if it's been squashed together by some imaginable force. His eyes watered this time; the tears so longingly wanting to escape his irises. His whole body shook from the shock; DAMN! This was all too familiar.. there was only one word the saiyan could utter through his tightly firm lips..

"_No_.."

***

The air conditioned room had a murky atmosphere, but pretty much the same as it always had been. The cake ingredients were still laid on table; her and Trunks always had so much fun baking chocolate cakes. Despite the fact about his stubborn nature, her son actually enjoyed spending some quality time with her. After all, she knew Vegeta would be busy training or 'important things that don't concern anyone' things. She smiled.. that was her husband for you. This sadness stabbed her heart.. the realization struck her instantly, knocking common sense into her mind. Vegeta wasn't here.. he was in the hospital.. just barely surviving his dreadful ten day long coma.. the words that had just crossed her head were almost hard to believe. Her husband? In a coma, just barely surviving? Despite all of her extensive knowledge, she hadn't even known that those words could be used in the same sentence.. it was all too unbelievable. 

A sound startled her thoughts, making her eyes look to the left of the room. A small boy with an all too recognizable orange gi appeared, standing next to a strikingly handsome purple-haired kid. She smiled. 

"Hey Goten.. hey Trunks. What can I do for you?" 

Trunks crossed his arms, leaning against the table the way he'd seen his father do so many times before. Goten smiled cheerfully, running his hand on the back of his head. 

"Hey Bulma.. can I have some orange juice?" 

Subconsciously, the woman got up from her chair and rushed to the fridge. She took out the enormous pitcher of the orange, tasty liquid and set it on the table. She took out three cups and instantly put ice cubes inside them. She then cautiously poured the juice inside the three cups, and passed one to Goten. 

"Thanks!" 

She looked hastily at her son, who was almost half-way through his glass. She raised her eyebrow in wonder, a small glint of expectation and anger shone through them. She fixed her glare at her son. 

"What do you say?" 

Trunks, who wiped away his lip from the mark of the fruit drink, crossed his arms and sighed. 

"Thank you mom.." He replied, a mono tone of voice spread with his answer. His eyes grew wide as another idea of excitement ran through his mind. 

"C'mon Goten! Let's go train in the woods! I feel like having a good fight.." 

"Mm... okay." 

The two boys ran out of the glass screen door, and were already on there way to the dense forest. Bulma grinned, shaking her head in marvel. The way they resembled their father's was incredible. The resemblance was so uncanny; the way a proud smirk was set on Trunks' face; the way a goofy smile lit up Goten's features. Yep.. it could only be Goku and Vegeta's sons. The telephone rang, once again startling and interrupting her thoughts. She ran to the phone and quickly picked up the receiver. 

"Hello?" 

__

::::[12:13..]::::

"Excuse me?" She asked, totally puzzled. Why the hell would someone call and tell her the time? 

__

::::[For a genius, you sure are an idiot..]::::

"What?! Who is this? How dare you speak to me that way? Who are you to talk?" Anger simmered through her senses, blinding her. Damn.. why did the voice sound so familiar? 

__

::::[You know who I am.. very well actually. Now listen carefully.. 12:13..]::::

"Okay, that's it! Why did you call me? Just to give me the damn time? Is this a prank phone call? You sure have some nerve, you jerk!" 

__

::::[I called you for a reason.. 12:13. Heh, and here I thought you'd be thankful to know when you're husband will die..]::::

A spasm of fear ran through her heart, causing her to completely lose her mind. 

"W-.. what do you mean? Who is this?" 

__

::::[Telling my identity would only ruin the surprise.. as for your husband, tell him this.. 12:13..]::::

Click... 

A dial tone rang through her ear, and she fumbled to put the phone back in it's proper place. She backed away from the phone; damn.. why did it have to be so quiet? She could hear the blood pounding in her head, her heart slamming against her rib cage. She crashed into the table, bumping her left elbow. She cried out in pain, wincing as she rubbed her shoulder and elbow. Total silence. A dimming stillness scurried through the perimeter, making her senses more alert. Her breath had become raspy, her eyes were closed due to the panic.. 

RING! 

Kami.. her heart beat faster, her horror more elaborate now. Why would the killer call her again? What else did he have to say to her? She grabbed the phone, pulling her hand over her heart, and placing the phone up to her ear. Her voice was barely a whisper, but become very hoarse. 

"Hello?" 

She waited a couple of more seconds.. nothing.

"Hello?.. God damnit, answer me!" 

This time, breathing could be heard from the other line.. her heart stopped. 

"Hello? Bulma?" 

Her heart began beating once again; her breath now beginning to catch up to her. 

".. Hey Goku.. what's up?" 

"Hey Bulma.. I.. I've got something to tell you.. and I don't think it's something you want to hear.." 

Once again, sadness stabbed at her mind. 

"Oh no.. what happened?.." 

"Someone tried to hurt Vegeta again.." 

"WHAT?! How?.. Oh my god Goku.. please tell me he's okay!" 

There was a pause. 

"I'm not sure.. the doctors tell me he'll be fine.. he just has to rest for a few more hours. Oh wait.. their telling me I can visit him now. Listen Bulma, I have to go.." 

"Wait Goku!" She cried, small gasps once more trying to escape her hoarse and parched throat. 

"Yeah?.. What is it?"

"I.. I got a phone call from the killer.." 

Now a gasp could be heard from Goku, making the conversation seem eerie from the emptiness of it all. 

"What? You did? What did he say?" 

"..He.. said.. to tell Vegeta.. 12:13.. I don't know what he meant by it Goku.. please, tell Vegeta that message.. I have no idea what he meant, but please tell him.." 

"I will.. be careful Bulma.." 

__

Click...

***

He moaned in pain as the alcohol was starting to take effect on his infected wound. The dizziness was starting to clear up, and the blurry images in front of him were apparent once more. The lights above his head shone on his eyes, making him squint furiously. Why the hell did were the lights so bright? This wave of lightheadedness struck his whole body, but he couldn't give in to it. Damn! When would the pain and torture stop? It felt as if every single second now there wasn't a moment without him feeling some kind of stinging or twinge of ache. His whole world had been crashing down ever since the damn killer tried to murder him.. everything was going in circles; his head was spinning and it wouldn't stop.. the dizziness came back.. the drowsiness and nausea erupted into his skull.. everything was fading out.. 

"Vegeta! What happened?" 

And then.. as soon as the pain had come, it had quickly diminished away. His neck snapped upwards, his eyes pleading for remorse.. a cough seeped out of his throat, and his lungs gagged for air. He slowly caught breath, struggling to do so. The prince opened his mouth, but the words stuck in his mind. He grimaced with anger; damn! Why was he so weak? Once more, he attempted the hard task. 

".. The.. killer came.. last night..." 

Goku's face withered up with worry, making his heart shrivel into small pieces. This excruciating terror ripped up his consciousness, and all he comprehend were questions and thoughts that needed to be answered. His eyes met Vegeta's for a split second, and he finally found the courage to speak. 

"What.. did he do to you?.. What did he say?"

A grunt escaped from the prince's throat, and he turned away, anger set on his features. 

"He barely said anything Kakarot.. all he said was that he was going to kill me soon.. a ..and that's all I remember.." 

Once more, Goku's eyes softened to meet his expressions and emotions. This couldn't be happening.. the killer was going to try to kill the prince again?! But.. why? Goku's thoughts absorbed inside his subconscious.. there had never been a villain before that had only wanted to kill Vegeta.. no, this villain was different. His motive was obviously revenge, but why? Goku's daze snapped back to reality as a question burned inside his mind. 

".. Vegeta, you don't remember the killer leaving a big gash on your left arm?" 

A chilling sensation ran through his body, but affected mostly his spine. What the hell was Kakarot talking about? What big gash?- His mind just realized it.. the burning twinge in his left arm must've been the gash.. his eyes fell upon it and his stomach almost exploded with queasiness. There it was.. a bleeding wound that must've covered at least 12 millimeters long, and 13 millimeters wide of his arm. He grimaced in pain, and looked hastily back at his rival. 

".. I.. don't remember that either.."

The silence they knew all too well came back. A deafening calmness swept over the room; if a pin dropped it would've disrupted the tranquility of it all. 

".. Oh Vegeta.. I have to tell you this before I forget. Bulma got a phone call from the murderer.." 

Fear mixed with hatred burst into his eyes. Damn.. why did the killer involve her in all this? 

"What did he say to her?! Tell me!" 

Goku could hear the intensity of his anger, and chose not to make any more of his patience run thin. 

"He didn't say much.. just 12:13.." 

An excitement beyond sanity scurried through Vegeta's heart. All of this was starting to make sense.. 

"Kakarot.. the killer came last night at 12:13.."

Goku was somewhat surprised at Vegeta's tone of voice.. but finally comprehended what he meant.. there was a pattern! 

"Wait.. the killer almost killed you for the first time at 12:13.. he came last night at 12:13.. and he called Bulma at 12:13 today.. don't you see Vegeta? Whatever he does, he always does it at the exact same time!" 

A relief that had no explanation finally took residence on the prince's heart. Damn.. finally they were starting to get this mystery.. it was finally starting to unfold. A serious look evaporated onto the prince's face; his pupils staring right into Goku's. 

"Don't go celebrating yet Kakarot.. there's still something that doesn't fit in. We still don't know when he's going to try to kill me next.."

Goku's smile turned into a look of total seriousness. He rubbed his chin in thought, and then ran through what date it was. A look of astonishment beyond reason took over his face.. he couldn't believe what he had just figured out. 

"Vegeta.. do you know what today is? And do you know what floor your room is?" 

Vegeta flinched with anxiety, but yet thrill of finally the last bit of pieces fit. 

  
"Hurry up Kakarot! Tell me already.." 

The younger saiyan took a deep breath, as if analyzing what his exact words would be. He looked straight into the prince's eyes, and opened his mouth. 

"Your in the 12th room, on the 13th floor.. and.. the date is December 13th.. don't you get it? The date is 12/13! He's obviously going to strike tonight at 12:13.. it all fits!"

The older saiyan's relief and apprehension dawned on him, and a ton lifted off his shoulders. Finally.. they had finally figured out most of the damn mystery. It was finally over.. the worry and concern flushed from his emotions, and what filled them now was thrill and excitement. 

"Listen Vegeta.. since he's going to strike tonight, I'll come to your room at 11:30. Once 12:13 strikes, we'll be able to sense the murderer and that's when we'll attack. He's obviously going to be somewhere in this hospital, so we better be on alert." 

The prince somewhat smirked; he was ready. All the nightmares and horrific dreams were finally going to be vanished; the paranoia and fear that constantly stabbed at his heart would never be seen again; and they were going to take this bastard down. But hell.. who was the murderer? Vegeta tried to make sense of it all.. it was someone obviously more stronger than himself. Someone who'd know him well.. someone who'd pull something like this.. No.. it couldn't be. No! It couldn't be who he thought it was.. Panic flushed into his system, making his face grow hot with alarm. Shit.. it _was_ him. Who else could've it been? There was nobody else.. no one else that could've pulled all the stunts. He looked angrily at Goku, and almost felt like punching him so hard in the face. 

Goku noticed the prince's mood change, and looked calmly yet strangely at him. 

"What's wrong Vegeta?" 

"It.. was you.."

Fright and complete puzzlement exploded into his whole body. 

"WHAT?! It wasn't me Vegeta!! Why would _I_ do this? Are you crazy?! ME?" 

"Think about it Kakarot.. the killer always returns to the scene of the crime.. you're the only one who could've hurt me that badly Kakarot! When I first told you about my nightmare, it seemed as if you didn't care at all! Kind of funny how that same night I almost get murdered! Only you have the Instant Transmission technique! You could come into the Gravity Room and then disappear without anyone noticing! Then, it was you who told Bulma and Trunks to go home.. it was you who I first saw when I woke up. Why would you be so concerned how I was doing; coming every day? Then, you came last night with the Instant Transmission and then you disappeared once more.. no wonder I felt a ki completely vanish! It was you who called Bulma and disguised your voice a little, and then called her a couple of moments later! How is it, that exactly after the murderer called, you called her? The doctors probably didn't even tell you about my wound, but you noticed it before I did! It was you who figured out the whole mystery! Face it Kakarot.. you're the damn killer!" 

Goku backed away, in total shock and surprise. He backed away to the door; still breathing harshly, still not being able to apprehend the words he had just heard. 

"No.. Vegeta.. I.. didn't do this.." 

"Shut up Kakarot! Leave me alone!" 

Goku felt these stinging and burning tears watering in his eyes, and he turned to leave the door. He rushed out of the hospital, and flew away, tears now falling down his face. 


	7. If you play with fire, you'll get burned

Hey! I wasn't going to update this for a week, but I know you all are dying for this chapter! This one is going to be filled with suspense and angst.. and you'll be surprised at who's angry! Anyway, thanks for all the reviews everyone! It if weren't for me getting 10 reviews so quickly, this chapter wouldn't be possible! 

Anyway, Imbegaladhiel, isn't the tension killing you? It is exciting, huh? Thanks for your great review! Nene2, Goku having a split personality and is sleepwalking? That's very smart.. hmm.. thanks for your review! Teenage Saiyagirl, your surprised Vegeta thinks it's Goku, huh? I am too... O.O; Anywho, I can't wait till you update your fanfic! Update it soon! Venni, I can't believe Vegeta wouldn't trust Goku a little bit either! But I guess when you have the evidence right in front of you, there's no denying it.. I hope you like this chapter! Chuquita, I always enjoy your long reviews! Wow.. I had no idea that the sub-conscious mind is more 10X more powerful than the conscious one! That's very interesting.. oh, and I saw the Kakarot/body-splitting thing in Lauryn's fic too! I love that fanfic.. it's a pure classic. Noctorro, nice guess on it being Goku! Thanks for the review! Hey, I don't know this person's name, but they signed anonymously. Thanks for the review! Poor Goku.. Dynishra, it does make a kind of freaky sense, doesn't it?.. I mean, Goku?.. killing Vegeta? I know you'll love this chapter! Carrots and Veggies, maybe it is Kakarot! MWHAHA! Or, maybe it's someone entirely different, and your right.. maybe, maybe not. Find out in this chapter! 

Well, I hope you guys all like this chapter. I spent a lot of time and thought into it, and I know you'll all love it. 

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The hatred welled up inside of his heart, making his features flushed with anger. The air stung his eyes, making his tears far worse than they ever were. The annoying sun flashed before his eyes; damn! Why did the sun have to shine so brightly? He didn't want anything more but to destroy the sun and rid of it's pathetic light. Frustration blinded his common sense; and he crashed into mountains and cliffs, not caring if animals or insects died along with it. Nothing was fair in this damn world anyway! Why would they want to live if all they felt was pain and anguish every day? Besides, they just got in the way! Pieces of rock, rubble, and debris fell on the saiyan, making him shrug it off in annoyance. What the hell was wrong with him? Goku's aura was getting brighter and brighter with every second that passed; seeming as much as his rage increased, his power did as well. 

Why did Vegeta think it was him?! Goku.. try to kill Vegeta repeatedly? How could the prince even think that? Since when had Goku ever not cared about the earth, and everyone in it? -- 

His heart stopped beating; and his lungs failed him. He gasped for the cold air to once more take way inside of him, but it wouldn't come. His heart began beating once more.. and so did his common sense. He had just slammed into cliffs, not caring if animals or any creature on there had died.. he didn't care of the grass and trees that he had crushed.. Now he saw why Vegeta thought he had almost killed him.. because.. he was a cold killer! He had just brutally killed life right at that instant! And.. he had been uptight lately.. the first night he met Dr. Johnson he had almost slaughtered him! Maybe he was the murderer.. no. He couldn't be! But then.. what the hell was wrong with him? Why had he been so angry for the past few weeks? It just didn't add up.. but one thing did, however. Vegeta started getting those nightmares as soon as Goku had starting getting bad-tempered. But what the hell was that supposed to mean? 

The saiyan continued his aerial flight, but not in the direction he was once going in. He was going to Capsule Corp.. in the Gravity Room. If there were any answers as to who the killer would be, it was bound to be in there. 

***

The smell of spaghetti filled the woman's nostrils as the stove began to shut off. She poured the sauce daintily over the enormous meatballs, and smiled arrogantly when her son approached the scene. 

"Oo.. something smells good! Can I have some right now mom?" 

She gave her son a reproaching look and crossed her arms, now mocking her husband and son. 

"Well sure Trunks! But you have to wash your hands first.." 

"Aw mom! Do I have too? That's a complete waste of time! They're just going to get dirty again.." 

"No excuses mister.. go right now." 

"Okay.." 

The demi saiyan ran over to the sink and quickly soaked his hands with water. After thoroughly gorging them with soap, he ran the water over his fingers once more, and dried his hands. 

__

Ring. 

"I'll get it!" 

Bulma's heart stopped entirely, making her breaths come up short. She chuckled at herself; she was being way too over paranoid. It couldn't be who she thought it was.. could it?

Trunks retrieved the phone of the receiver, and put his mouth on the lower part. 

"Hello?" 

__

::::[12:13..]::::

"Huh? What are you talking about?" His blue eyes contracted with question.. why did someone call to tell him a couple of numbers? 

__

::::[Your just like your mother.. so stupid..]::::

Anger spewed into his voice, as if a volcano just erupted from inside of him. 

"Who is this?! You don't even know my mom!" 

:::[Oh.. don't I? Are you sure, little one?]::::

Trunks clenched his fist, seething with loathing. He didn't like the tone of voice that this guy was pulling.. who was he? 

"Yeah, I'm sure! I've never seen you here before, or I've never heard you talk to my mom.." 

__

::::[Well, just because you've never seen me, doesn't mean I haven't.. 12:13.. oh, by the way, your father will die.. just thought I'd let you know.. you are his family after all.. heh..]::::

"WHAT?! NO! YOUR NOT GOING TO KILL MY DAD!" 

__

::::[We'll see about that, won't we? It doesn't matter what you say anyway, because you don't have a say in the matter.. goodbye. Just remember.. 12:13.]::::

"Wait! Who are you? Tell me!" 

__

::::[Your very stubborn.. just like your father. Fine, if you want to know a clue of who I am.. I know your father very well..]::::

Click... 

"Who was that Trunks?" Bulma asked, worrying if it was another one of those magazine subscribers. 

Trunks' hand shook uncontrollably, attempting to put the phone back, and not caring if it fell to the floor loudly. His eyes were wide with fear, and chills ran up the poor young half-breed's back. 

"It.. it was.. the.. k.. killer.." 

The words slowly rolled out of his mouth; exaggerating with syllable that crossed his tongue. 

Bulma gasped unexpectedly, dropping the bowl of pasta that she so carefully prepared. 

***

His feet landed on the fresh, clean grass; already stepping forward towards the Gravity Room. His heart pounded with anticipation, sweat gushing down his face. His muscles tensed, making his veins appear more clearly then ever before. His feet grew closer and closer to the room, and he opened the door with excitement scraping at his heart. He was surprised with what he saw..

At first, the room gave off it's original red tinted glow, and the atmosphere of it was exhilarating. Goku glanced at the three numbers at the corner of the control panel.. 

__

900X

The saiyan gasped as he felt his body being compressed by the difficult gravity level. He stumbled to the floor, instantly scraping his legs and arms. He winced in pain, attempting so hard not to escape the yell that was being held in his throat. What the hell?... Why was the gravity on? First off, Vegeta hadn't been training in here, and didn't whenever someone opened the door it reset the gravity? Realization dawned on him instantaneously.. unless, it wasn't Vegeta that had been training in here, it was someone else.. and, the door hadn't been shut all the way.. Goku cried out in rage, turning his onyx hair quickly into gold locks. He stood up leisurely, grimacing in concentration while doing so. His breath were short rasps, signifying the trouble he had with the intense training conditions. More sweat was seeping down his hair, and the water immediately evaporated as soon as it hit the floor. He glanced left and right, knowing there had to be some damn clue _somewhere_.. 

His mind tried to concentrate on the task ahead, but it was near to impossible. He cringed at his lack of focus, and immediately begin to think..

Who could the killer be? He had to figure it out right here and now. Which one of the Z fighters had enough power to bring down Vegeta? Not Krillin.. he was indefinitely taking a break of fighting to spend more time with his family. After the incident with Buu, he was a lot more closer with them. Yamcha? Maybe he was still jealous about Vegeta marrying Bulma and stealing her away from him.. nah.. too far-fetched. Yamcha wasn't the type to be holding a grudge so long. Piccolo? Hmm.. maybe Piccolo. Why the hell not? He was pretty strong, but yet, he wasn't the type that would do revenge on the prince and plan it out so carefully. Tien? Yeah! With so much time on his hands, he could've timelessly thought up the whole thing! But he couldn't hurt the prince that bad, could he? Gohan...? He was the strongest besides the two saiyans, and could've hurt Vegeta that badly. He would've had the brains too, to think of everything. But, he had no reason to hurt the saiyan that badly. Goku grimaced in anger.. who could it be? He had totally run out of suspects, and had absolutely no lead to who it could've possibly been. Unless.. 

It was.. himself. No.. it couldn't be. It just couldn't! He would've remembered if he had pulled something off like that! But.. maybe it was his alter-ego. Ever since he had met Radditz, he had always heard of his other, darker saiyan side. But.. it couldn't be true could it? Was his darker side somehow taking over Goku's conscious mind and forcefully attacking Vegeta? But why? That was one thing he couldn't understand.. WHY?! Vegeta had never done anything really bad to Goku, besides knock him out in their previous battle. That couldn't be enough to will his sub-conscious to want to get revenge.. could it? Damn! This wasn't adding up! It couldn't be him! There was no way! ABSOLUTELY NO WAY! Goku clenched his fists in fury, utterly losing his temper. His aura blasted with static; the static seemed out of control as it danced around the super saiyan three warrior. His battle cry echoed in the dense air, being contained within his ears, mind, soul and heart. And then.. it stopped. His extensive, golden locks disappearing back into his ordinary locks. The static vanished as soon as it had come, and Goku's knees gave out underneath him. 

***

__

Ring. 

The ring of the phone awakened his unlived thoughts, and his eyes snapped open. He frowned greatly, and grunted in anger. He picked up the phone and grunted into it. 

"What do you want?" 

__

::::[It's almost time prince.. ]::::

His heart stopped with fear, making his eyes widen with paranoia. The darkness of the room made the voice a million times more colder.. 

"What.. do you mean?" 

__

::::[What is this, is your whole pathetic family brainless? What I mean, is that it's almost time to die..]::::

A fear stabbed his heart and made his voice come out in small high pitches. 

"Shut up Kakarot! Your not going to kill me! I know this is you! Shut up baka!" 

__

::::[Hmm.. how easily you are fooled and blinded. It makes tricking you all the better..]::::

"You're not deceiving me you moron! Just stay out of my life!" 

A pause. 

__

::::[Oh, trust me.. that can be arranged. I'll stay out of you life.. once it's over." 

__

Click...

***

The blood pounded in his ears, and the terror clawed at his heart. He almost felt like fainting or throwing up; his stomach retreated with queasiness. Goku looked up at the wall, frozen with fear as his limbs refused to move. There, right in front of him, was a message.. it was written with warm, crimson blood.. 

**__**

Happy Anniversary

The saiyan covered his mouth with the scream that threatened to come out. Happy Anniversary? WHAT THE HELL!? Who had written this? He couldn't have.. why would his alter-ego write this message? It made no sense for 'Kakarot' to write it.. no. It wasn't his alter-ego that had done this. He was 100% sure of it now. It wasn't even him who had done this. He gasped, as a panic ran over his body and flushed his system with fear. His face became hot with alarm, and all of his nerves had stood on end. Goku knew who the murderer was...


	8. Ashes Ashes, We all fall down

Hey! I'm back with another chapter! Thanks for all the reviews.. this is so unbelievable! You guys all review so fast! And I'm really thankful for that. This chapter is going back into Vegeta's hospital room, and it leaves off with an evil cliffhanger.. 

Anyway, omg! Kewla, you reviewed Chapter 6, and I didn't have time to add you to my reviewer shout outs last chapter, so I'm thanking you now. Oh, and this is your thanks for the new review. If the 12 13 thing hasn't clicked yet, it will. Oh, and the reason Bulma isn't with Vegeta, is that she knows she could go into shock if she seems her husband's paralyzed state. Thanks so much for your awesome review! Destiny's Light, the suspense is killing you? It's killing me too.. Mwhaha! I love my evil cliffhangers, even though I know everyone else hates them *smirks* Chuquita, another long review! I'm very thankful of that! Anyway, maybe your guess is right! Maybe not.. who knows. (Well, I do, but you know what I'm saying.) I will tell you something though.. your answer will be revealed very soon.. Very nice analysis on the whole `why Goku's being uptight and why Vegeta's having nightmares'. Your one of the very few reviewers that really give a good explanation of what you mean. *smiles* Thanks for your review! Carrots and Veggies, Goku is smart, isn't he? I hate it when people think Goku's completely useless when he's not fighting.. oh, and I read and reviewed Evil Carrot Z's story! It was awesome! Nightmare66641, nice guess!! I like how you had four guesses and actually explained them. Thanks for your review! Chibichan, I hope this chapter came out as soon as you wanted! Enjoy this chapter! Dynishra, MWHAHA! I AM TRYING TO DRIVE YOU INSANE! MWHAHA- No, lol, I just really love everyone to be excited for when I update next, and to really enjoy this fanfic. LOL! Bulma killing Vegeta? Nice guess though.. it could be her.. bwhaha! Teenage Saiyagirl, the killer is Bulma or Future Trunks? Cool guesses.. it could be one of them, who knows? I sure do.. *smirks* Bulma the crazy bunny queen, aka: Bulmi, lol, I'm glad you like my story. That means a lot to me.. Terra, Nappa? Not bad! It could be him! He does know Vegeta very well.. suspense isn't a good thing, huh? I know what you mean.. I hate when my fav story doesn't update for a couple of months or weeks. That's why I try to update as fast as I can! Noctorro, ChiChi? Wow.. that's a great guess. Maybe it is her.. she's one of the least expected people.. Well, enjoy this chapter! Kaz Valkyrie, omg!! I miss e-mailing and talking to you so much! You think my fanfic is good.. and it's going to win the horror category?.. THAT IS SO NICE! I definitely think you're going to win too! You write so much better than me.. as for your guess, very smart! Nice explanation.. you're soon going to find out who the murderer is.. MWHAHA! Imbegaladhiel, I love killing people with the tension.. *smirks* Oh, and Vegeta thought Goku was the killer for a lot of reasons.. go back to Chapter 6 and read the last couple of paragraphs. DBZ Fanfiction Queen, you put me on your favs list? That is so cool.. thank you so much! As for your guess, maybe your right.. maybe your wrong. You'll find out soon! *grins evilly* 

This is going to be hard to say, but.. this fic's almost over! Infact, it's only going to have a few more chapters.. but, there going to be extremely long. The last chapter is going to be around 8000, or 10,000 words. It has to sum up everything; you know, clear everything about the mystery, the fight of who's going to win this battle, etc. This last few chapters I'll put all of my heart into writing it, and who knows? If everyone wants one, I'll write a sequel O_O; But, that's until the epilogue comes around when I'll decide. Anyway, enjoy this chapter! It's going to have an evil cliffhanger that'll leave you at the edge of your seat!

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The moment would soon arrive.. how long he had waited for this anticipating moment. With every second that passed, his patience ran thinner. Despite of all the emotions that he was feeling, there was only one distinctive one that flourished through his heart and simmered through his whole body. Rage.. this unspeakable fury that overwhelmed him for many days.. an eternity of oblivion that all he could think of was revenge.. a revenge so strong, that not even death could stop him. How nice.. the prince had actually thought it was Goku that attempted to kill him.. what a fool. Then again, the prince's weaknesses were priceless advantages against him. They would cost him dearly.. maybe even his life. He couldn't wait to see the blood spilling down his face; the agony caressing on his features; and the pure torture of getting killed.. how thrilling. There was nothing more that he could do but wait.. and wait for just a couple of more hours.. and it'll all be over.. 

***

His eyes snapped open, and sweat damped his face. His breath shortened, and he slammed his fists on the bed sheets. Damn! He thought his nightmares were over! But there they went again.. his fists tightened, his muscles strained, and his veins became more apparent under the darkness of the night. A cold chill scurried down his back; making his saiyan senses more alert than they ever could be. The darkness was unnerving, making the entire room have a creepy atmosphere. Silence.. there was but one sound that filled the room; and that was the prince's deep breathing. The air got colder and colder, making shivers protrude down his neck. DAMN! Why was he feeling like this? Where had this fear come from? He hadn't felt fear for along time.. ever since the encounter with Buu. And even then, it would never come close to the magnitude of the emotion he was feeling now. But.. why? The killer didn't scare him _that_ much, did he? After all, he had found out who the murderer was.. Kakarot. _Kakarot... _when would that word stop cursing his existence? Never.. it never would. An unsettling feeling swept over his heart and the pit of his stomach. His pain, fear, and damned life would never end. Shit.. it sucked having a bad life. His past was like a looming shadow; always following him where ever he went. Like a face within himself, making sure he always remembered it.. Why did he have such an awful past? He didn't deserve it.. no one deserved what pain he went through.. NO ONE! Vegeta winced in fury, his eyes retracting with anger and irritation. His mind clouded with misery; thinking about the agonizing years in Frieza's ship.. the fear and helplessness of not knowing if he'd ever get out of the hell he had enslaved himself upon.. DAMN IT!! Why was he thinking about this?! It didn't make sense.. why now? He shook his head in frustration, and tried to shake the disturbing thoughts away.. with no success. A sigh escaped from his throat.. and he clenched his fists in boiling wrath. His eyes wandered off to the corner of the room, looking at the clock that ticked his life away.. 

__

11:17

The prince frowned immensely, laying back on the pillows that supported his lower body. How he wished he give in to the sleepiness his head now possessed.. just give into the dream world where nothing hurt, and everything was peaceful bliss. It would've been so easy.. he wanted nothing more but to escape his panic and pain, but the feat was impossible. Drowsiness threatened to overcome him, and his eyes became more and more heavy. His head crackled with pain, and that immediately made the prince sit up with shock. What the hell? He laid back on the pillow, which was now definitely out of position. The prince grunted in annoyance, crossing his arms and sitting there in complete boredom. What the hell now? Would he just sit there and wait for the 'killer' to come, or take matters into his own hands? 

A singe of pain ran up his left arm, and an aggrieved cry seeped through the prince's mouth. He gasped for air, but the air stubbornly did not come in. His lungs burned with ache, and panic sent the prince howling in discomfort. His scream echoed throughout the room, and throughout the very depths of his soul. 

***

Ah.. the sound. How very comforting the sound was.. the sound of a pure agonizing scream that tore someone's heart apart. How he loved that sound.. it was a beautiful melody that exhilarated him to want to hear it more. More louder.. more closer.. there. He was close enough.. the sound evaporated into harsh breathing and finally silence. A laugh echoed through his throat, and the laugh exceeded into minutes. Damn, he loved it when the prince screamed. It sent torrents of twisted happiness into his heart, and a smirk took resident on his taunting features. So soon.. it would be so very soon where he would get to hear Vegeta's cry more longer.. and the promise of revenge would be fulfilled. 

***

Determination filled his heart, making his flight speed more faster. An incredible alarm filled his system, making his palms sweaty with perspiration from fear. His fists tightened harshly, and his anger revolved around his golden aura. He had to get to the hospital.. he had to get to Vegeta.. The air batted his whole entire gi, and his hair flew in every which direction. The darkness of the night was punctured by some various city lights -- some car headlights, televisions, lamps, big signs.. etc. How tranquil it all was.. and it might've been soon to be destroyed by some maniacal killer.. No! Goku was going to stop him once and for all! No more killing, no more destruction, no more pain or fear! He was going to stop the killer's wrath once and for all.. 

***

Darkness.. swirling blackness of circles that ran through his sub-consciousness and made the black resident for eternity. This dark oblivion knew no pain, knew no fear, and knew no life. That is.. until he woke up..

His body sat straight up, snapping him out of his daze of unconsciousness. Damn.. he almost slipped into another coma.. what the hell happened? The prince rubbed his head in annoyance, trying to get his mind to re-focus on that night. He was going to get killed in.. how long? How long he had been out cold? His pupils drifted to the outer corners of the room, and into the ghastly clock that was glowing a bright red in the shadows. 

__

11:45

Damn.. Goku was supposed to be here by now. He was already 15 minutes late; the foolish baka. So.. it _was_ true. Goku had to be the killer, because he was probably going to show up at 12:13. Damn it.. and the prince thought there was actually a chance that he was innocent. But, how could that happen? Vegeta had the perfect evidence! Everything concluded that it was indeed the younger saiyan! But.. what if he _was_ innocent? Kakarot? Would he really have enough guts, yet alone will to carry out such an appalling act as to kill the prince? Maybe he wasn't guilty.. NO! He had all the evidence! It had to be the pathetic baka! The prince once more relaxed as he laid back on the silk bed sheets. Shit.. how he missed Bulma. Feeling the warmth of her body against his own as he went to sleep every night. And as the morning's sunlight lit the room, he could always turn around and see her beautiful face content. And.. there was always, the brat. He actually somewhat missed an annoyance tugging at his shirt, asking him to train. He missed the way Trunks was always in his room playing video games, while Bulma was either cooking or thinking up some ingenious creation. Those days were peaceful.. despite the fact of his nightmares plaguing his very existence. And now.. here the fuck he was. In some deathbed of his, all alone without the 'comforts' of his family, and without the reassurance that nothing would ever happen to them if he was there. And that bastard had the nerve to include his family in this?! To call them and make their lives a game of fear? How dare he.. HOW DARE HE! How could Kakarot do this? What had the prince done to make Goku hate him so much? Was he still holding the grudge of knocking him out to fight with Buu alone? How foolish it seemed.. when Goku and himself met again after that, Goku didn't seem the least bit angry at him. In fact, he was asking for Vegeta's help.. to put on the potara earring to defeat the mysterious Buu together. Of coarse, the prince refused at first, but once they were fused together, they were an unbeatable force. When Vegetto's barrier broke inside of Buu and they seperated, he had never been so relieved in his life, but even though he would take it to the grave, he would fuse with Goku again given the opportunity. But now.. he'd never fuse with him again! He'd taken upon his own will to attempt to kill him, involve his family in this, and now he was going to try to kill him once and for all! He was going to pay.. oh hell, he was going to pay dearly. He had had enough of his childish games! Acting out this stupid game, and giving pieces of the puzzle little by little. Did he find this amusing? He had better not.. 

***

A creeping feeling ripped through his spine, and every single one of his pores were straightened with goose bumps. He was almost there.. just less than a mile to go. He could already see the outlining of the blue hospital sign that was just a few yards away. He couldn't wait to tell Vegeta who the killer was.. he would be so happy to finally relieve himself of the guilt of being the 'alleged' killer. A smile formed on his lips, and the stress was being lifted off of his heart. But just as soon as the stress was lifting off, it was lifted back on again. There was still the killer he'd have to beat.. how he was going to pull this off he didn't know. Vegeta would have to watch him fight, for he couldn't really help.. he was very injured and could only get in the way. His fractured ankle was healing somewhat, but was still not properly cured. He had an uncounted number of broken bones, and walking would only increase the pain in his ribs. As much as Goku didn't want to admit it, he didn't want the prince there to 'help'. But how was he going to get Vegeta to agree? 

In a split second, a spike of ki was powering up in the hospital! Goku gasped hesitantly, but breathed in a breath of air. He gulped down all of his doubts and fears, and soured through the air to the ki. Who the hell was powering up? Was it the killer? He clasped his fists.. this was it. The moment of truth. He would finally kill the murderer and he'd finally die. Goku knew he didn't have time to get Vegeta too, and that he'd have to do this alone. With a look of remorse towards the thought of Vegeta, the hero flew down towards the stairwell and felt a feeling of fatalness overcome him...

***

The quiet of the night was almost completely sounding in his ears. How inconvenient.. here he was, waiting for the final moments of his life, and it was quiet as hell. When would Goku come? If they were going to battle to the death, then so be it. Bring it on.. let him come. After all, he was waiting for him.. and then, his alert saiyan senses picked up something unexpected. A spike of ki stabbed at his senses, and it was towards the stairwell. The prince glanced at the clock.. it was _11:59.. _Did the killer want to strike right now? Damn.. it was the moment of all casualties. The prince looked at the closed door at the entrance, and frowned. It was time to fight and defeat Goku.. but was the ki he sensed, Goku? Or.. someone else? 


	9. No Trespassing

Hey! Another fast update.. I hope everyone enjoys this chapter! It's going to be kind of dark, because I was home alone, and mostly because I was listening to the theme music of the movie `Abandon' that came out on Friday. It was a good movie.. but it was a little boring sometimes. If you have to pick between `Abandon' and `Red Dragon' definitely pick `Red Dragon'. Trust me.. anyway, thanks for all of you reviewing! Chuquita, I stumped you? MWHAHAHA- Anyway, I'll reveal the killer very soon! In fact, it could be as soon as this chapter.. who knows? Nene2, you have a guess? That's cool.. I update as soon as I could! Thanks for your review! Kewla, wow.. your daughter watches DBZ too? That's awesome.. the 12:13 thing will click very very soon.. don't worry about it. Keep watching those videos though.. they may come in handy.. DBZ Fanfiction Queen, I know I'm evil! *smirks evilly* You want me to write a sequel? That's awesome! I'll decide later though.. it's a lot of work making a fanfic like this one. Imbegaladhiel, I love cliffhangers.. mine are so evil, I know. I hope you enjoy this chapter! Teenage Saiyagirl, very very nice guess! Cell? Wow.. that was good. Maybe it is him.. read to find out.. Noctorro, maybe Goku and Vegeta will kill each other O_O; Who knows? Maybe it'll happen.. GokuLuver, ...omg.. you think my fanfic is good? *wipes away tear* That is so nice.. you don't know how much that means to me. Thanks for your review! Megami Starlight, you love my story too? YOU ARE SO NICE! I mean it.. and great guess. It's a good thing you think my cliffhangers are evil.. *smirks* Wildflame, LOL! Your review really lightened up my day.. there's too many fics that Vegeta get hurt and there's a killer, huh? Thanks for telling me my story's great.. 

Anyway.. this is a very important message. I want everyone to know this, so please read this. 

***IMPORTANT NOTE***

I've been working on this fanfic for 5 months. Believe it or not, it's true. I spent three months trying to think this up, and two months to write it. I found the fanfiction contest in June, and ever since then, that's all I've been able to think about. I actually thought I had a great chance in winning the horror category, because my fic is okay. But something horrible happened.. before I wrote this chapter, I got somewhat of a writer's block, and I hated it. I needed some sort of inspiration, and I did. I went to the contest entries page today, and I saw another entry to the horror category. It's a way better fic than mine.. and I'm going to lose. I'm really depressed.. I wanted to win more than anybody in that contest.. Oh well.. I hope you like this chapter.. enjoy it please.. you guys are the only thing not making me stop this fanfic. 

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The quietness and darkness was frightening in the tranquility of the room. The only sound that was accountable to the prince was the blood pounding inside his own head, and the fast breathing that was escaping his parched throat. The ki continued powering up; and it stabbed his senses painfully. This was it.. he would finally go to the stairwell and face his fate dead on. He tightened his shaking hand, wrapped it around the bed sheet, and thrust it over his body. His heart beat quickly, pumping not only blood, but fear throughout his entire system. More sweat poured down the side of his head, flowing down his face and onto the now sheet less bed. It dissolved into the already damp bed, and fell into a pool of dried blood. A sick sensation ran through the pit of his stomach, making the prince tempted to stay asleep and to not get out of bed. But fierce determination got him going, despite the huge knot of panic that was tightening in his stomach. Damn! This wasn't supposed to be _this_ hard! He grunted angrily, hating the position he had put himself in. His damn ankle hurt like hell; and his ribs weren't making this situation any better. His right foot landed softly on the ground, (damn! It was cold), and then he gradually swung his left leg over and it touched the ground as well. There.. he was finally sitting on the damn bed. Ignoring the searing pains coming from his ribs and legs, he began to stand up...

An excruciating pain exploded in his right rib, making his legs almost double up with the chain reaction. No! He wouldn't give up! If he sat back on that bed, than he would surely die. Kakarot would come looking for him and finish him off quickly.. and then move on to his family.. NO! He would never let him do this! Enough was enough! They would battle here and now, and the prince would _never _give in too easily. His eyes shifted to the door, which was standing just a few feet away. He could do this.. just one step at a time. Despite the burning throbbing in his left leg, he continued plodding onward. His determination was what kept him going, and he wouldn't stop now. His hand gripped the doorknob tightly, and hastily turned it. Light invaded his eyes, and he shielded his eyes with his left arm. Damn! Why did it have to be so bright? Vegeta gritted his teeth; this was aggravating like hell. He kept walking, a limp starting to form where his ankle was still covered with bandages. DAMN IT! No.. he had to ignore the singe of pain that was seething through his ankle. It was either that option, or kiss his life goodbye. With fierce anger, he kept his leg straight and continued walking through the light that blinded him. 

"Mr. Vegeta, what do you think you're doing?!"

Damn it.. what now? His pupils altered to the right of the hallway, where a familiar figure was walking towards him. Mr. Johnson.. 

"Get away from me.." 

"No! You're not completely healed! You need to get back to your room right now! It's against hospital regulations to-"

"SHUT UP!!" 

His rage overcame him, and the recognizable aura of gold danced around his body, the static circling around him. Mr. Johnson was thrown back into the wall, where he quickly went out cold. Vegeta clenched his fists; his fury was getting the best of him. He hovered into the air and took off, already advancing to the stairwell doorway.. 

***

That was easy.. _too_ easy. He was somewhat disappointed.. he thought the saiyan would give way more of a challenge. But what did you expect from a weakling that 'saved' the earth time and time again? Heh.. some hero. He had just almost died.. he was in a much worse condition that when Vegeta was when he was lying there unconscious in the Gravity Room.. how nice. The prince wouldn't be much of a challenge then. A smirk played around on his lips.. this was all too easy. It was like taking candy from a baby.. it was fast, and without any effort. His eyes eyed the ground, looking down on the pathetic carcass of the 'would-be' savior. His victim was surrounded by a pool of crimson blood; it was too much of a perfect opportunity to miss. He bent down slowly, and touched the blood softly. It was so warm.. little by little, he scooped it up and plastered it through the walls, already scribbling yet another message. This message would be much more deep than the last one. He wanted the prince to be quivering with fear, already knowing his doomed fate. Alright.. the message was written. Exactly 12 inches wide, and 13 inches across length wise. The smirk continued to be set on his features; his deadly game was turning out to be the ideal revenge that anyone could ever think of. He was succeeding in what many others had failed to do; and that was to finally kill the damn prince. He crossed his arms, grinning at his message, and waiting impatiently for the prince to appear. 

***

She wiped away the dust that was settling on her window. Damn.. she hadn't cleaned the car in such a long time. It wasn't that she didn't have the time, -- she had plenty of it -- but it was simply the fact that she hadn't taken the time to notice it was dirty. Her mind was too preoccupied with too many things; her new invention, upgrading the Gravity Room, worrying about becoming a widow.. She looked back to the backseat of the car; it was empty. Trunks had been told to stay with his grandparents, that she was merely going to the grocery store, and Bulma felt bad lying to him. She just didn't have the heart or the spirit to tell him the truth.. that she was going to see if her husband was okay or not. After all, the damn killer was going to kill her husband in less than fifteen minutes! It would've been a lot more helpful to bring her son along; maybe he could've helped Vegeta.. No! That was her insanity talking.. she wouldn't dare corrupt her son to go fight a monster! No.. it was way out of the question. She only hoped Vegeta could do it by himself.. her only main goal was to warn him of the dangers to come.. did he even know the murderer would strike at 12:13? She hoped so.. and if he did, she just wanted to wish him good luck.. or maybe she could even call the police! 

__

Psssst... 

What the hell was that? Her eyes wandered to the review mirror and she looked back; oh shit! The gas of the hover car was leaking out! 

"No.. not now!" 

She slammed her fist in the wheel and quickly descended into land to avoid crashing. Now what? There wasn't another gas station in sight.. damn! 

***

He collapsed on the floor painfully; the energy he had given was too much. His jaw slammed on the cold, hard concrete, making his chin flow with blood. His eyes had closed; the pain was too unbearable. His legs were now scraped with cuts, his arms battered with bruises. He wanted so much for the darkness to overtake him, to slip into total unconsciousness and accept his fate. This was it.. he was going to die. To die in the hands of a rival whom he'd hated all of his life. To die; wither away; vanish.. all the damn words meant the same to him. He was going to forever rot in hell without avenging his broken pride.. he'd leave behind his family, his 'friends', (hell, what friends?), and a killer who'd never get punished for the ghastly deed he pulled. Damn it.. there was so much left to do! If only he could live.. but fuck, how could he survive if not only the killer was stronger than him, but he was so damn injured? It would be a miracle beyond miracle if he made it through the night.. he'd never see his family again -- Bulma would probably go into depression, and Trunks would have a damned life without a father. And the fact that Kakarot would go around telling everyone that Vegeta died of 'natural causes' was the most agonizing thought of all. Kakarot would go on living life in heaven, -- finally getting rid of his rival, living finally in peace, and not ever getting the blame. NO! This couldn't be happening! The Saiyan Prince was not about to let some third class baka defeat and kill him! He wasn't going to go through with this.. he _was _going to win! -- even if it killed him! In an instant, this unaccountable rage filled his heart.. the type of rage and fury that was only seen very few times in a lifetime. A type that was an adrenaline rush; it was a type of chemical that was pumped through your system that gave you the ability to overcome any odds. A kind that was almost enough to make you go to another level of super saiyan -- 

A cry of pure wrath issued from the prince's mouth, and his golden aura appeared once more as if by magic. He clenched his fists and stood up with most of the remaining energy he had. He looked down at the flight of stairs that still awaited him, and he began flying through flight number 13. 

***

Almost there.. he could even feel the heat of the super saiyan aura coming down towards him. Good.. it was finally time to extract his lethal vengeance. He smirked; the prince would die in less than an hour. It would take only about 30 minutes to fight him, and maybe a good 15 minutes to torture and murder him. This was going to be so much fun.. the prince's yells would forever echo in this hollow, empty grave that he chose to be Vegeta's crypt. He would, of coarse, kill Goku and destroy Vegeta's family after he was done in this stairwell. He was going to have fun with the prince's wife -- make her suffer while she watches her only son getting tormented. Humans were a race of weakness -- they were all so vulnerable. He chuckled to himself; Vegeta was almost to the third floor.. where he left him a little surprise.. 

***

Damn! How many of these floors did he have to go through? Even though he was already at floor six, it was getting annoying! Wind whipped back the prince's gravity-defying hair, and his onyx eyes were determinately set on killing the baka. His nose picked up a sickening smell, and his head snapped to his left. He gasped, shock filling his system. What the hell...? There was a message, probably 12 inches wide, and 13 feet inches length wise. It was written in pure, crimson blood.. it was somewhat of a poem. Vegeta gritted his teeth as he read the damn 'poem'.. 

**__**

So, you actually showed up to die,

That's impressive prince, and do you want to know why?

You've always been a coward, through thick and thin,

And that's why I feel so confident to win.

You think you know my true identity,

But your a fool, and you believe too quickly.

You'll be surprised at who I am, 

and that I came up with this master plan.

You died once, and you'll die once more,

I'll torture you while your dead body falls to the floor. 

Vegeta seethed with frustration; THAT WAS IT! He was going to stop this right here and now! What a bitch.. it _was _Kakarot! It had to be! He was just trying to trick him into believing it was someone else! He was going to get him for that.. Kakarot was going to pay debts that he should've paid long before! How could Kakarot do this? How could he put the prince through so much pain? What did he do to make him so mad? WHAT? He would kill him as soon as he showed up.. was he a coward? Is that why he's been waiting for the prince to come down to the stairwell? When he got his hands on him -- 

In a split second, every single light in the whole stairs shut off. Everything was pitch black.. the only light was the prince's aura, and the red light radiating from the 'exit' signs on top of some doors. Vegeta's heart stopped.. whatever the killer was going to do, he was going to do it now. The prince flew off the sixth floor, and finally stooped down to the fifth.. then the fourth.. and finally the third.. he stopped dead. Vegeta's heartbeat quickened, and sweat was pouring down his forehead. A single, limp body lay only a few feet in front of him. What the hell.. who was it? The prince walked a few steps, a lump was forming in his throat. No.. it couldn't be who he thought it was.. Right in front of him, lay Goku's blood soaked body. Vegeta fell to his knees, all the while the lump in his throat was threatening to choke him. A heavy guilt weighed down his heart.. shock was paralyzing him. The prince slammed down his fists; and he began to cry. 

Now, in all of his life, Vegeta was never the one to cry. Despite the heavy torment of hell he lived through on Frieza's ship, and the damned childhood he lived through, he never once cried. It was of saiyan weakness to show any kind of emotion, and making tears for those you 'cared' for were the worst weakness of all. But something happened that day on Namek -- his heart was opened up. His tears fell for being controlled by Frieza, and being turned into the monster that the tyrant was. And ever since that day, the prince was never the same. During the battle with Cell, Goku had made the ultimate sacrifice -- he gave up his life. And in the process of it all, Vegeta had lost his son, Trunks. Instead of showing any type of sadness, he took Cell head-on, and even though he got hurt, he still felt like he tried to avenge his son. He would've never cried.. not in front of anyone on that day. As the years passed, his emotions were showing more than ever. He was growing soft, as so many like to put it, but he still possessed this lurking evil that still overshadowed him -- wanting to be released. And when he turned Majin -- the day he had his soul to the demonic wizard -- he had abandoned all of his feelings. Only, of which, to be awakened once more by Goku. And when he allowed himself to fuse with his rival, everything had turned to another level. Their trust had timed itself by 10, and their bond seemed to grow stronger. And in the shameless fight against Majin Buu, they had defeated him by teamwork. A special teamwork, that required trust, and above all, friendship. And now.. when Vegeta was so hell worthy bent on killing Goku for betraying him, he had found out it wasn't him.. and that Goku, was at the brink of death. If only the prince hadn't been so blinded, and actually received help from the baka.. maybe Goku would still be alive, and they would win the battle against the murderer, together. But no.. Goku was almost dead.. and so was Vegeta. 

He wiped away the tears; the agony that tore at his heart was unimaginable. He looked around in the darkness for any clue as to where the killer was.. and then he heard a voice. 

"Happy Anniversary Vegeta.." 


	10. WARNING: MAY CAUSE DEATH

Hey! I really don't know what to say.. all of your reviews have been the best.. they really made my day. Thank you so much! You guys are truly the best readers out there! 

***IMPORTANT***

Before I start my reviewer shout outs, I have something very important to say. This is the last chapter of this fanfic.. I know, I know.. you guys are probably gasping right now when you're reading this, but it's true. Don't worry though, this chapter is somewhat more than 6,000 words. You'll find out who the murderer is, how he came back, clear the rest of the mystery, and of coarse, the titanic battle of who's going to win this war. I hope you all have enjoyed reading this, as I've enjoyed writing this. I've had so much fun, and the reviewers and reviews have been so awesome! Maybe I'll write a sequel.. if everyone really wants me too, then fine. But.. I'll decide that in the epilogue. Yes, there will be one after this chapter, and it'll be exactly 24 hours after this took place. Well, I hope I'll have good luck in the contest, and I'll e-mail everyone when the results are in. Just make sure you leave your e-mail at your last review in the next chapter. Anyways, here we go with the shout outs.

Wildflame, I am mean! *smirks proudly* All of my friends tell me I'm mean, so it must be true.. bwhaha.. anyway, enjoy this chapter! You'll never encounter one of my evil cliffy's again.. *sniffs* o.o, thanks so much for saying I should write horror stories! In fact, I want to be a mystery/horror story writer when I get older! That compliment really inspired me.. DBZ Fanfiction Queen, very nice review. Maybe it is Frieza.. and won't Vegeta be surprised when he sees him.. I agree. If it is Frieza.. Kewla, thanks so much for your review! You are so nice! You think my fic really has a chance and that it's a fic that really grabbed your attention? Wow.. that's so cool. Thanks! Carrots and Veggies, MWHAHAHA! I love my cliffhangers! I hope you did too.. *smirks* Imbegaladhiel, my cliffhangers are so evil, I know. Maybe Goku will die.. and don't worry! You'll find out who the killer is in this chapter! Silvermoon, I'm the Queen of horror? Awesome! Your review was so cool.. I have a scary imagination? *smirks evilly* I bet you're a very great writer! I wish I could read German.. anyway, I hope you enjoy this last chapter! Venni, I agree with you.. Chapter 9 really was intense.. I think the scene with Vegeta crying was the best one.. but that's just my opinion. Red Dragon's a good movie? I can't wait to see it! I hope this chapter came out as soon as you wanted! Chuquita, your review was really great. I managed to see that it really isn't all about winning. I will try harder! -- and I'll write this ending as best as I can. Megami Starlight, you think my fic is a great fanfic? THANKS SO MUCH! And I bet your fanfics are awesome! As good, or better than mine! Maybe when I'm done with this chapter, I'll read some of yours! Destiny's Light, the suspense is killing you, huh? What is Vegeta going to do, now that Goku can't help him? You'll see.. this chapter is going to be filled with suspense and angst. You'll enjoy it! Teenage Saiyagirl, I love it when a guy cries too.. and especially like when Vegeta did in the previous chapter. I thought that was a really dramatic scene, and that it just fit that Vegeta cried.. oh well, that's just me -.-; And as for Veggie kicking the killers ass,(:D), maybe he will! MWHAHA! Wow, thanks for saying I'm a great writer.. I can see you've gone through a lot of turmoil as for writing, but I'm glad you write for your reviewers sake! You're right, the feedback is a valued thing for an author. And I'm grateful for your feedback! GokuLuver, you can't wait for this chapter? Cool.. you think this is a `damn right good fic'? *sniff* Thanks! Terra, OMG... My fanfic is incredible? It really gets better every time you read it? It's the best fic you've read on ff.net?.. omg.. omg.. that is so nice! *sniff* Man.. I hate getting emotional. It's not a very easy thing for me to do.. I don't like showing emotion, and I conceal feelings very well. Noctorro, don't worry about it. You definitely don't have to know DBZ at the back of your hand to figure it out. Trust me.. you guys will all know who it is in this chapter.. Sholio, I really have to agree with you with the whole `Veggie crying' scene to be really touching. That's one of my fav scenes in this whole fanfic! Your right about one thing though.. if it's someone from Vegeta's past, he/she has got to be stronger.. and my `theme' titles are really cool! -- and they were so hard to make up! I spent hours doing it O_O; Anyway, I hope you like this chapter! And update `Dark Prince Saga' soon! Kaz Valkyrie, An evil cliffy? I know.. *laughs evilly* And omg.. your most recent review really touched me! You really think I'm going to win? You have that gut feeling? That is so cool.. maybe I will. I hope with all my heart that I do. Callisto Firestarter, thanks for your review! Freaky? Yes.. Gory? Yes.. Satisfying? Cool! lol, thanks so much everyone! 

Well, this is it. The last chapter.. I've grown so much as a writer with this fanfic. I am so thankful and grateful.. anyway, for those of you that want the fanfiction contest link, here it is: http://www.gokugirl.com/contest/ 

I also think you get to vote for me in some portion of the contest! 

Enjoy some of the entries there, their very good. Oh, and if you find my fic, you'll see that I only have one chapter uploaded there. But that's for a reason.. I want to spell check every chapter, and to make sure every thing is perfect. Well... I hope everyone likes this last chapter! ENJOY! 

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His heart pumped with fear; a fear that he had never thought existed at this magnitude. Panic swept through his system, making him paralyzed with paranoia. SHIT! He was stuck in here with the damn murderer in complete darkness.. what the hell now? 

"What's with the sour face? I thought you'd be happy on our special anniversary.." 

The prince clenched his fist; anger was starting to dull his senses. Fury retracted in his eyes; his muscles began to tighten furiously. He was going to get this settled right now.. 

"What the hell do you mean? What anniversary?!" 

A cold protruding laugh filled the darkness, and a cold sweat ran down Vegeta's back. Shivers of alarm made every single hair on his body stand straight up.. damn! Why did the laugh effect him so much? 

"If Goku were still alive, maybe he'd be able to tell you.. he's the only one that found my little message in the Gravity Room.. he figured out who I am. Aw.. too bad. The only reason he died was because he was trying to save _you_.." 

The guilt stabbed at his heart once more.. the killer was right. It _was_ Vegeta's fault.. if only he had believed in Kakarot.. then none of this would've happened! He clenched his fists in utter frustration; he'd had enough! 

"Who the hell are you?!?!"

"Ahh.. a very complex question to answer. I am merely a ghost.. a spirit that wants to extract revenge.. one that has 'unfinished business' as you might say.. Think prince.. think of your tortured past, and you will remember me.." 

Damn! So it was all a game now.. the killer wanted the prince to figure this out for himself. Ok.. think! Who the hell would hate the prince so much as to want to kill him so badly? Who would want to torture him.. and kill Goku without a flaw or a second of hesitation? Who would think of this deadly cat and mouse game and actually get away with it? Who was good at mind games? Oh shit.. no.. IT COULDN'T BE! It couldn't be who he thought it was.. wait.. December 13th.. why was the date so familiar now? He knew why.. December 13th was the day Vegeta abandoned Frieza's command and went to Planet Namek! So.. the only person the killer could be was.. 

"Frieza.." 

The name came out as a mere whisper; a whisper that ascended beyond hatred. The loathing in that whisper, was one to send thousands of races shivering with fear, and begging on their hands and knees. The name tore out the prince's heart.. and sent it flying into the wind in a million pieces. His fear and shock intertwined with each other; making Vegeta's heart quiver with alarm. His heart stopped beating.. all of his nerves stood on end. His features grew hot with anxiety, and this all connected with the wrath he felt inside of his memories. His angst swirled together, remembering all the hell Frieza had given him his entire life, and the time where he had died.. THAT WAS IT! 

A laugh sealed the room, as if it was forever to be some ghastly torture chamber of Frieza's.. and nobody could ever escape. The cold taunting laugh.. a laugh that was all too familiar.. a laugh that tainted his very existence.. a laugh that poisoned every bit of his body to the point of being in total paralysis. The prince merely sat there.. still on his knees from the very shock of his discovery. His arms went limp; he couldn't feel them anymore. His legs burned with pain, an everlasting reminder of the pain that was soon yet to come. His golden aura died down, and he was plunged into total darkness. 

A short chuckle and then complete silence followed the laugh. 

"What's the matter Vegeta? Why aren't you saying anything? Cat's got your tongue?" 

"Why?" 

"Why what?" 

"Why the hell do you want revenge?! What have I ever done to _you_?" 

A smirk took residence on Frieza's lips, and he licked them with anticipation. This was going to be fun to answer.. yes, very fun. He crossed his arms, his tail swishing behind him. How exhilarating.. this was the part where he'd explain everything.. 

"It's not what _you've_ done.. it's what _I've_ done. I was stupid enough to let you survive on my ship.. I was stupid enough not to know that you'd betray me and go to Namek by yourself. You always were the power hungry type prince.. we've a lot in common. Especially when we wanted the dragonballs all to ourselves. You defeated Zarbon.. you killed Dodoria, and helped destroy the Ginyu Force.. you slaughtered all of my slaves, and still managed to become stronger than any of us ever expected. Impressive prince.. and in the end, your pathetic dying words helped Goku become a super saiyan.. it was part your fault! Without your death wish, Goku would've never defeated me! I would be conquering the universe right now, but no! A monkey had to defeat me, Vegeta! A MONKEY! And even still to this day, his name curses my being.. I can't live a day without the shame he had given me.. and all because of your damn words!" A pause.. 

"But.. out of the all the shame, there came integrity. Yes, your half-breed son finally destroyed me, but I was not dead yet. My spirit lived on.. planning until the very day that I can kill you and Goku. I am dead, as you see, but not fully. In hell, which I thought was my permanent residence; I've been training.. training until I thought I was strong enough to beat you two.. and in that dark hell, there came a light. It would seem I heard of this legend.. every 10,000 years, hell would grant every single one of it's members a wish from the dragon. I sought fit for it to be my wish.. that I can finally destroy you two stupid monkeys! But when I made my wish, I was denied.. it was beyond the dragon's power to perform it. So, I thought of another option.. I made it, so that when it had been 10 years after our ordeal on Namek, that you're sub-conscious would will me back to get revenge. In other words, since it would be our anniversary, you're mind would remember it.. and that would bring me back for whatever time I need to take my vengeance. Perfect plan.. isn't it? Who would've known that dragonballs _would_ actually preserve my immortality?"

Shock.. there was nothing else that protruded through the prince's emotions. Utter, and complete shock.. His eyes widened in terror and an unexplained chill dashed through his structure. How could.. how could this be happening?.. It wasn't possible. It _couldn't _be possible.. how could Frieza actually be back? Was all he said, true? Did Vegeta's sub-conscious mind actually will himself to wish back the icy tyrant? If so.. it was all his damned fault.. IT WAS HIS ENTIRE GODDAMN FAULT! Guilt no stronger than any, weighed down the prince's sanity.. to the point that it was almost non-existent. This was too much.. _way_ too much. The pressure, the stress.. a fucking ghost was coming back to murder him, it had been his fault that Kakarot had died, and he was putting his entire family at risk.. what the hell next? The only thing that would make this night even worse.. was death. An end to his damned life.. and end by the hands of someone who had killed him before. A death in the hands of someone that had brutally beat his pride; test his very limits to the maximum. Someone that had hands, stained with the boiling blood of massacres that counted to the hundreds. A tyrant so cold and heartless, that had destroyed foundations of planets for immeasurable years. Enough was enough! How much more of this can one mortal take? 

"Nine minutes Vegeta.. you have nine minutes left to live.. after that, I will torture you beyond means.. and you will die once more." 

No! Damn! He couldn't possibly be serious! Nine minutes? 540 seconds? That couldn't possibly be enough! What the hell was he supposed to do? What _could_ he do? Accept death and go down quick? Or.. fight back and die a slow, painful death like before? Shit.. some nice choices. What was he going to do.. seriously. He needed to think of something here and now. Before he'd pay the ultimate price.. his life. Well, there was one more choice that he hadn't thought of.. 

His hands extended into clenched fists and his legs outstretched wide apart. His eyes narrowed slightly, and a frown turned his lips upside down. Singes and sears of pain ran down his ribs; damn they hurt like hell! No.. no! He would have to ignore them! He didn't have time to be weak.. he didn't have time to think. He only had time to fight.. because with every second that ticked by, it ticked away the remainder of his life. 

"Heh.. you want to fight, prince? Maybe when you went into that coma, I killed a few of your brain cells. Ah well, if you insist. This will only declare your death to be faster.." 

"Oh really? Then I guess you're making a big mistake in judging me to be so weak.." 

Damn.. there went his ego. When would his arrogance stop getting in the way of his battles? 

"Don't make me laugh Vegeta.. you can barely stand!" 

Damn it.. the bastard was right! He could _barely_ stand.. what now? Could he really have been that foolish as to cause his deathbed? He looked onto his adversary.. he didn't care if he was to die. His was his thrill that kept him going -- a saiyan nature to accept any challenge that was thrown towards him. He was going to win this even if his life depended on it.. and it very much indeed did. A swelling of alarm sprinted through his beating heart; this was it. The fight for his life.. the fight that would settle the score between the two warriors forever.. damn.. he couldn't believe this shit. It had all happened so fast.. he was just training in that damn training room.. he felt something was wrong.. blood, darkness, fear.. waking up.. his left arm getting cut open.. blaming Goku for being the killer.. DAMN! Now.. he was all alone. Helplessness settled into his stomach; making a squirming feeling of guilt wash over him. How much he hated all this.. he never wanted to admit this to anyone, but hell.. he needed help. It would take more force than him to defeat this tyrant.. and Kakarot would've been perfect. Hell, even if Kakarot only helped a little, it would've made the biggest difference.. a little difference in power declared the winner of this game of life and death! -- and so far, the verdict made it clear that he was scheduled to lose.. Fear burst into the determined onyx eyes, and his eyebrows narrowed slightly -- no, damn! He wasn't supposed to show any emotion besides hatred! If his opponent knew of his fear, it'd be all over. He swallowed the big knot that threatened to overcome him and ignored the panicky feeling of defenselessness that sinking in his stomach. Damn it.. had Frieza seen the paranoia in his eyes? 

The tyrant smirked; a smirk that was all too familiar to the prince. Ahh.. so, the almighty saiyan _was_ scared easily. He had seen the fear in his eyes that split second.. yes.. this was all he needed to know. Despite the prince's efforts to ignore his emotions completely, he still had the fear deep within him -- waiting to explode like a volcano at any second. That's it.. he remembered Vegeta's weaknesses very well.. the prince was blinded easily by the way everyone taunted him.. Good.. everything was perfect. It was time to strike.. 

"Are you ready to die?" 

"That's not something you should concern yourself with.." 

Anticipation filled his emptied heart.. it was time to start the battle of the fight for the universe.. 

The prince issued a cry from his scorched throat, charging towards Frieza in a heart beat. He swung his right arm and punched the tyrant right in the face with such force that it would've sent planets tumbling to their demise. Frieza smirked; and blocked the punch with his bare fists. Vegeta bared his teeth, anger filling his system. Damn, he was fast.. he had no idea that the bastard had gotten _that_ much better.. This was going to be way harder than he had ever imagined. His fists locked together tightly, swinging in once more and connecting to Frieza's lower jaw. Vegeta smirked; finally he had hit the damn bitch. And how great it felt! This was just step one of his fight.. Frieza doubled up in pain, gritting his teeth together furiously. Damn it! He was going to pay for that.. a surge of raw energy whipped through the tyrant's essence and surrounded his figure. He smirked, a chuckle seeping from his lips. This was going to be all too easy now.. 

The merciless tyrant charged forward, slamming his own head against the prince's. Without any hesitation, he banged his knee to Vegeta's torso, and elbowed his back. Vegeta staggered back with pain, almost getting the urge to fall to the floor and just die. His fists tightened together, angst was swirling together inside of his heart. Damn! When would this shit nightmare be over? His thoughts were soon interrupted by an uppercut aimed directly at his head -- no! He wouldn't let this attack get the better of him -- and he ducked, kicking Frieza's back quickly. Frieza was thrown upwards, but hastily stopping his flight with a burst of ki. A trail of blood was trickling down his chin.. he smirked, and wiped it away; marking his pallid skin with crimson. 

"Well well well.. I guess I've underestimated you, prince. How impressive.. I guess all of these years have changed you.. but all that training you've done won't help you now. It's too late.." 

"We'll see about that.." 

Damn it! Why was his damned voice shaking? Why couldn't he get rid of this fear? No.. he couldn't think of that now! One little emotion could make someone lose their life, or gain victory. And he wanted nothing more than to win.. shit! The game of life was the hardest thing anyone could ever play.. 

A yell of pure rage escaped from the prince's throat, and the all too familiar golden aura played around his body, appearing as if fire possessed Vegeta's soul. His golden locks stood straight up in the air, and his aqua eyes danced with determination. The thrill of excitement was rushing through his veins; yes.. this was the battle the prince thrived for.. a battle that both of the opponents had a good chance of winning in. His stubborn lips riveted up into a smirk, and once more, got into a fighting stance. 

"Isn't this your worst nightmare, Frieza? Me, turning into a super saiyan.. who would've thought that? Are you getting a little nervous?"

Frieza bit his lips, already the sour taste of blood was filling his tongue. Damn.. he had forgotten the fact that the prince could turn into a legendary super saiyan.. this incident caused shock to penetrate through every part of his body -- now what? No, he could beat the prince even if he was super saiyan 10.. but the fear he felt whenever he saw those damned gold hair, and those eyes.. it was unbearable! He clenched his fists, a cold sweat was running down his upper back. Shit! Was Vegeta's words actually true? _Was _he starting to get a little nervous? Grimacing in hatred, his tail violently swished behind him, slamming into some stairway steps and grinding them into dust. DAMN! He couldn't let this nuisance get in the way of his satisfying victory -- he just couldn't!_ And he wouldn't.. _A poisoning grin gave his features maliciousness. The evil that was portrayed before was quickly stumbling back onto his face. He had a plan.. hadn't he discussed this with the prince before? There was no way he was going to lose.. 

The gold flashed through his body; a manifestation of the confidence and thrill that was raging inside him. That son of a bitch wasn't _that_ hard to fight.. in fact, he was no problem. A smirk protruded on the proud saiyan's lips, and he crossed his arms in anticipation. 

"Well, if you're not scared, you better be.." 

"Stop deluding yourself.. you already have a big enough ego as it is." 

"So now your warning me? Heh, I didn't think you'd go down to that level.." 

A surge of anger and frustration ruptured from the tyrant's twisted heart. Damn.. he hated when the prince had a big ego; it was maddening, and yet satisfying at the same time. A big ego meant he was off guard.. how splendid. But.. why the sudden mood change? A few minutes ago he was nervous and scared.. now he was over confident and arrogant. But, why the hell was he like that? 

A burst of ki exploded near him; shit, the super saiyan level was strong.. Wait.. realization hit him, and he finally understood. When a saiyan turned into a super saiyan, he obtained more arrogance.. it all fit in! Even the monumental battle between himself and Goku all those years ago; when Goku was a super saiyan, he was very cocky.. and the same occurred for the prince. He smiled evilly. 

"_Hmm.. I guess turning super saiyan has some major disadvantages.. how marvelous.." _

Perfect. It would go well with his plan.. the plan that would set the stage of who would win, and who would lose. He once more licked his lips with anticipation; this was all to grand. 

Vegeta tightened his fists, and glared at the tyrant. Why the fuck was he smirking?! Something was wrong.. he could tell in his damned eyes. Oh well.. if this was the way Frieza wanted to play, then so be it. He grunted, and once more, replaced his annoyance with a classic smirk. 

"Humph.. you're really starting to bore me. Are you ready to square off once more, or are you just going to stand there?"

"I'm ready when you are." 

"Good.. we can begin now." 

Two war cries filled the humid air, and the two warriors once again started their clash. 

A ki blast ripped through the darkness from Vegeta's hands, gaining energy with every second that passed by. Frieza grinded his teeth together in fury, and found himself powering a beam as well. The two simultaneously let them go; the two beams colliding in the middle. Vegeta let out a burst of ki, powering up the blast just a little. Shit! This was difficult as hell! He cried out in a rage, allotting more energy and ki into the blast. Frieza grinned, and gave as much as an effort as the prince. His muscles bulged, his veins become apparent, and his smirk gave into wickedness. Vegeta roared with anger, and released more power. Damn! It seemed the more force he gave into it, the more Frieza had.. what the fuck? This wasn't making sense! He broke off his blast and charged towards his tormentor, discharging even more ki. He veered off to the left, and extended his right leg, once more storming forward to the tyrant. He attempted to kick his head, but Frieza rapidly grabbed hold of the prince's leg. Infuriated by his new immobility, the prince struggled with frustration. 

"Let go of me!!" 

"What's the matter? Are you starting to get a little nervous?" 

Frieza grinned and laughed a laugh of pure venom. He loved mocking the prince, it rang pleasure into his heart and made his heart swell with happiness. Hmm.. maybe he should injure the prince a little more now. He tightened his grip on the prince's leg.. ahh.. it was the prince's right leg, the one with the broken ankle. How nice.. it was so perfect. He squeezed the ankle harshly, to the point that blood seeped out from beneath the tyrant's hand. Vegeta howled in anguish; the pain.. it was too much to bear.. IT HURT TOO DAMN MUCH! His eyes fluttered; open and closed.. he blinked slowly.. oh shit. Darkness was starting to set in.. the pain.. the throbbing pain.. it hurt so damn bad! It numbed his leg, and his arms fell limp. The blood rushed to his head, and the next thing he saw, was black. 

***

Nausea erupted into his eyes, and at first, everything was black once more. But his sensitive saiyan eyes adapted once more, and a faint light could be seen from the distance. Wait.. where the fuck was he? He moaned softly in pain, and looked down at his body. He was being bound to the wall by a substance -- but what? What the hell was going on? Where was Frieza? An unsettling fear nerved his senses.. he was in the mercy of the damn asshole now. His eyes wandered off to the bottom part of the stairwell; what? They were still in the stairwell? His head burned with an unknown hotness; did he have a fever? Great.. a perfect timing to get sick. No.. it wasn't fever. In fact, there was something on his forehead. But what? Despite the smoldering pain, he looked up at his head. A knot formed in the pit of his stomach. It was blood.. warm, hot, sticky blood. The metallic smell of blood filled his nostrils, making him want to throw up. What the hell was happening? 

"I've been waiting for you.." 

Shit.. Frieza was coming this way.. 

"What the hell are you doing to me?" -- he glanced down at the substance binding his legs -- "And what the hell is _that_?" 

"Don't worry about it prince. It's just a strong metal that a saiyan couldn't possibly penetrate through. It's just to attach you to the wall so you're vulnerable."

"Why?! What are you going to do with me?"

Frieza smirked, a smirk full of malice and full with evil. He crossed his arms, and tilted his head, as if examining the emotions that the prince was feeling. It was all too perfect.. he was going to taunt the prince and make him be blind with rage. And after that, he knew the fight would be all too easy.. 

".. Have I ever told you you're father thinks you're weak?" 

A pang of hurt throbbed in his heart. 

"What does that have to do with anything?! I asked you a question!" 

"Trust me.. it has to do with everything. Your father thinks you're a disgrace to your race. _His_ race. He thinks you're pathetic, and a big coward. You show too much emotion, and you're indefinitely growing soft." 

Wrath provoked the prince to power up in fury, but he thought against it. He could just imagine his father saying all that! What a bastard! How could he? -- No.. it couldn't be true! How the hell would Frieza know what he thought anyway? 

"How the fuck would you know?" 

"Have you forgotten? Your father is in hell too Vegeta. With an infinity of time, what else do you expect me to do? I've talked to him.. he told me everything." 

Oh shit no.. he was right. What if.. what if his father really _did_ say that? He couldn't have.. he wouldn't have! Would he? Yes.. he did. So.. his father thought he was weak. Thought he was a disgrace to the saiyan race. Thought he was growing soft?! NO! It wasn't true! Damn it. His thoughts instantly revolved around all his memories with his _own_ son. How many times had he told his son he was weak, soft and pathetic? Too many times.. after this, he would never say that to his son ever again! Damn.. wouldn't Bulma and Trunks be surprised at how much he's changed after he survives this? That is.. _if _he survives it. So.. he _was_ growing soft? DAMN!

"Goku thinks you're weak as well. He told me before he died."

"You liar! None of this is true! You're making it up! DON'T YOU DARE LIE TO ME!"

He yelled with angst in his voice, powering up to super saiyan once more, and being blinded by rage. 

"You're wasting you're energy. There's no way you can escape that metal.."

"SHUT UP!" 

He bawled and roared with anger, powering up in hatred. Static began shooting up and down his body, and it danced in circles around him. The metal disintegrated, grinded into, what was now, ash. The cry he was emitting out of his body tore at his throat; it hurt like hell, but he didn't give a damn. He dashed forward to an astonished Frieza, and punched him right in the face. The tyrant doubled up in pain and shock, and was temporarily stunned. Vegeta used this opportunity to attack -- he kicked Frieza in the back and he went soaring away. He smashed into a wall, and outlined it with his figure. He hollered in a rage and escaped the clutches of the wall. Vegeta connected into Frieza's skull with a few blows, and Frieza did the same. They both exchanged various attacks -- punches, kicks, and uppercuts. Vegeta grabbed his opponent's tail, and threw him to the other side of the stairwell. Frieza flew up into the seventh floor, waiting for the prince to follow suit. The prince ascended to the floor, and began punching once more -- only to fail. None of the punches hit the tyrant at all! Damn! He was so damn fast.. He took flight upward and descended down and elbowed Frieza right in the face, only to have Frieza wrap his tail around the prince's neck. A cracking noise ruptured the silence of stairway, and the tail only tightened more. Vegeta gasped for air, his lungs burned with throbbing ache. The deadly, fatal tail strengthened it's grip, cutting off the prince's air supply completely. He could fill the murkiness of darkness start to overcome him once more, and he felt his consciousness slipping away. Hell no! He wouldn't let this happen again! With all of his might, he pushed his two hands up and tried desperately to lessen it's lethal grasp. He clasped them around Frieza's tail, trying to form a ki blast, but the familiar platinum gold energy never came. Frieza laughed unpleasantly. 

"Look at you! You're trying so hard and desperately trying to survive! You're pathetic prince.. I should end this, you know. Perhaps I will.. it's only about two minutes until 12:13.."

***

Darkness. An excruciating pain ran from his lower rib to his nerve in the back of his head. Damn.. it hurt like hell. He couldn't open his eyes.. it was like pain was pushing it down to the point that it didn't want him to ever see light again. He had almost died.. he was almost at the brink of death. His breaths were short and raspy, his lungs were burnt with pain. They were crisps of black, suffocated by the lack of air. Damn.. Frieza really tortured him. But shit.. if he couldn't beat Frieza now, who the hell could? He was the earth's only hope.. well, he _was_. If he couldn't do it, how could he expect Vegeta to? Unless.. he was dead now, wasted forever in the hands of the tyrant that tortured him his whole entire life. Man.. too fucking bad too. He never got to tell Vegeta that he was sorry for everything he'd done -- he was sorry he was always beating Vegeta at everything. He knew one of the real reasons Vegeta had blamed him to be the killer -- it wasn't only the fact that he had the perfect evidence -- it was the fact that he was jealous that Goku had figured out everything so fast. Goku really didn't mean to beat the prince.. it just.. happens. He didn't try to do anything more than try to be his friend.. maybe even best friends. They were the last of their extinct race, they had to have some special bond together. And they did.. when they fought together, they were some unbeatable force. They always seemed to naturally do things en masse, even if they didn't want to. They were special.. the last two remaining full blooded saiyans. And now .. Goku was at the brink of death from an old enemy, and Vegeta was soon to suffer the same grisly fate. SHIT! He wished there was something he could do.. he _had _to do something! But what? If somehow, and that's a big _if_, he managed to make it to Frieza and Vegeta's battle just a few floors above, how the hell could he help? He'd just get in the way.. damn it. He still knew he had to help.. somehow, and someway.. 

***

Frieza smirked, letting the grasp of his tail lessen. He dropped the prince unexpectedly, and threw him against the wall, where he slowly slid down, blood trailing behind him. He slumped to the floor, agonizing pain shooting through his entire body. Shit! Now the fuck what? A cough escaped his beyond scorched throat, and blood dribbled down his cheeks and chin. His eyes darted above him, where the over powering shadow of death stood. This was it.. well, life had been a bitch, but it was exciting nonetheless. Filled to the rim with perils -- victories, losses, ups and downs, deaths, revivals.. and now it was time for death once more. Maybe it was time to die.. he couldn't ever beat Goku anyway. Damn.. and the fighting tournament he and Goku were to fight in was tomorrow.. if only he could survive. He would be fighting Goku in the championship and fight one hell of a match. Oh well.. hell, here he came. 

"Well, I hope you're ready to die. This is going to hurt Vegeta.. I promise. Good night sweet prince.." 

__

Good night sweet prince... the words echoed inside of his adolescent mind, and it poisoned his soul with the vigor and discrete venom it contained. _Good night sweet prince... _those were the exact words that Frieza had said just before Vegeta was scheduled to die on Namek. Frieza was going to kill him with a final blow, and than that damned Kakarot had to come and 'save him'.. at least for the moment anyway. Damn.. how much he wished Kakarot could be there once more.. just one more time. Just one more time to be the damned hero. It would be just another blow to his pride, but damn he really needed it. Shit! He hated admitting things to himself! Well.. this was it. Death. The word that had haunted his very existence and burned his pride to smoking crisps on the damn floor that Frieza walked on. He wondered how he would die.. how would Frieza execute this ghastly murder? .. No.. no! There was no way.. shit no! Hell no! Damn no! NO! NO! NO! Frieza wouldn't possibly kill him the way he had done on Planet Namek.. would he? He couldn't! It was too gruesome.. it was too much.. 

"I hope you enjoy this, because I sure will. I think a beam to the heart would be lovely, don't you agree?" 

No.. it couldn't end like this. Aw man.. it was going to end like that. Vegeta cringed in pain; he knew how much pain the blast inflicted, how much torture it brought. How slow it was.. no one deserved to die like this. 

Absolutely no one. 

Not even Frieza. 

***

He opened his eyes slowly.. damn, everything was so bright. He supported his weight on his arms, and winced in pain at how much his arms were useless. But he kept going.. who cared if his two arms were broken? Who cared if every part of his body felt some kind of ache and throbbing? Who cared if every bone on his body was broken? Who cared if he was covered in cuts and bruises -- all fresh -- the cuts were still bleeding, and the bruises were swelling and darkening by the second. He sat on his knees, gasping for air, and cringing on the strain he was being put through. Who gave a damn.. he would have to ignore the stabbing pain that was running down his back. He would have to ignore everything.. slowly, he lifted one knee, and then the other, and gradually got up. A piercing pain ran through everything -- oh well! He'd been through worse! He took one step, then the next.. and the next.. and another. He staggered up some more, and almost stumbled to the floor. He was dizzy as hell. No.. walking or not even running would do. He'd have to fly, and that was just the way it was. There was no other way he could do this. He focused.. he closed his eyes, searched deep within himself, and found some ki left. Some reserved ki.. some ki that had been 'healing' when he had been knocked unconsciousness. He concentrated on it, and let it out. A spike of ki released from his body, and he lifted into the air. Yes.. he was actually doing it. He looked up, and spotted Vegeta.. a Vegeta that was about to get killed. Using all of the energy he had left, he rose higher and flew swiftly. 

***

"Ready?"

Shit! He needed to shut up! Of coarse he wasn't ready! No one was ready to die! Not even Frieza was.. when he was chopped up like some sushi and was destroyed forever -- well, until now. He would get his revenge.. he managed to kill Kakarot, and he was going to kill him too. Shit that sucked. His eyes lashed with fear, and with one more desperate look, he looked at the gold blast that was already forming in the tyrant's hands. His whole life flashed before his eyes.. his childhood, his teen years, his adult years.. it was all there. To sum everything up, his life really, truly sucked. There were a few things that made it tolerable.. his family.. his Gravity Room.. Kakarot.. yes, even Kakarot. His number one goal, his number one rival, his .. number one best friend. Damn.. from being the worst of enemies, to the best of friends. From wanting to kill each other, to wanting to save one another. It didn't make sense.. but the best things in life, never did. Well.. goodbye life. Goodbye Bulma, goodbye Trunks, and goodbye Kakarot.. 

The beam was on the tip of Frieza's fingers. And with one more laugh, he let it go. 

Vegeta felt the heat of the blast coming towards him, and a sense of deja vu swept over him. Of coarse.. the same thing that was happening now, happened on Planet Namek. He winced in pain, glancing away, knowing that the pain was soon to come.. but at least he wouldn't feel pain for much longer now.. He grimaced and cringed; but nothing came. He opened his eyes, and saw a figure coming towards him, and a big explosion. He glanced, a figure had gotten in front of him and blocked the blast. It was Goku.. his burnt corpse fell to the floor, and his empty, lifeless eyes looked directly into his. 

Anger. Frustration. Rage. Fury. Wrath. Fear. Shock. Surprise. Paranoia. All those emotions and so much more. Even emotions that no one has ever felt before, the prince felt right at that moment. His eyes welled with tears once more, but he wouldn't let them fall. He glared over at Frieza, and saw that he was laughing. That was it.. he had crossed the line. That damn mother fucking son of a bitch had done enough for one lifetime. He stared back at the corpse of Goku.. and suddenly stood up. 

"_Kakarot.." _

He clenched together his fists, and started to power up and merely scream. 

The scream was one that was once in a lifetime. One that was filled with anger, coated with frustration, dotted with rage and fury, and bathed with wrath. A scream that was contaminated with fear, dashed with shock, sprinkled with surprise, and washed with paranoia. A scream that filled the entire room, and stopped the laughter of a certain tyrant. A golden aura danced along with his aqua eyes, and the static seemed to be invited as well. His golden locks seemed to grow longer and larger, protruding all the way to the bottom of his back, but as soon as it had come, it disappeared. His golden locks, however, were straightened with force that it was gravity defying. His eyes weren't aqua at the least; they were highlighted with red, as to show the anger and determination of his heart. 

"I WILL KILL YOU RIGHT HERE AND NOW! THIS IS THE END FOR YOU, FRIEZA!" 

"We'll see.. I'll kill you just as I did Goku! I'll be more than happy to finish this, MONKEY!" 

Vegeta continued powering up, and held a forming ki blast in his hands. 

"Final..." 

Frieza began powering up a magnificent blast with such force and power to destroy planets. 

"... FLASH!!!" 

And he released it. 

As the two blasts collided in the middle, it was already apparent of who's was stronger. Vegeta's. There wasn't any doubt at all. Not one. It was already beginning to overpower the other's. Frieza was beyond astonishment and shock. He was about to die once more, and the wish he made was in vain. It looked like he couldn't do what he had always wanted to do -- kill all of the saiyans. He had been so close.. so damn close! He killed Goku.. wait! DAMN IT! HE WAS STILL ALIVE! His ki was very faint.. but still flickering. NO! It was over! His revenge and vengeance that he had come so far into doing, was officially over. He had planned it out so well.. and it was done. The blast overpowered the golden one; there was a scream, blood spaying everywhere, and then, silence. Absolute silence. No breathing.. no blood pounding in his ears. Complete silence. Vegeta fell back into the concrete in happiness. The first thing he was going to do after he let Dende revive Goku and heal himself, was to _finally_ go to sleep. 

~THE END~ 


	11. Crimson red is the shade of danger

Hey everyone! This is my last chapter.. the epilogue.. *sniffs* I'm going to miss this fanfic so much! It's the best I've written.. and I've gotten so many good reviews. Thanks to everyone! 

*Disclaimer* I don't own DBZ, but I do own my poem 'Crimson Red'. I hope you like it!

*Ssjgoddesschico*

Thanks for everything! Thanks for all of your reviews and compliments.. this is the best fanfic you've read?! OMG.. thanks.. 

*Venni*

This was the best chapter ever? Cool.. *smiles* You really want me to write a sequel? That's awesome..

*Imbegaladhiel*

I hope you like this epilogue! You really want me to win, huh? I really hope I do.. thanks for all of your compliments! 

*Kewla* 

I agree with you.. never ever underestimate the power of friendship. Goku and Vegeta's is so strong, it's unbelievable. You really gasped when Goku was hit instead of Vegeta? I did too.. and when Vegeta beat Frieza, I was so happy! I might do a sequel.. I hope you like this chapter! Thanks for all of your reviews!

*Chuquita* 

I love all of your reviews! Their all so long and well descriptive! Vegeta was actually the hero.. and Frieza was the villain. I was so happy that it was Vegeta that got to beat Frieza! Finally! lol. Goku and Veggie are okay.. that's a good thing. Enjoy this chapter! Maybe I'll write a sequel to this.. 

*FireDragon*

You want me to win the contest? That's cool.. don't worry, mostly everyone thought it was Goku. Enjoy this epilogue! 

*Megami Starlight*

Frieza will pay! Ha! I made him lose.. MWHAHA! -- LOL, even though he's my fav. bad guy, it's cool to make him lose in my fanfic.. enjoy this! 

*Callisto Firestarter*

You liked the ending? Great.. I know you'll love this chapter! Enjoy!

*Terra*

Go Vegeta.. *smirks* Thanks for saying it was a great ending. I might do a sequel.. and I will e-mail you if I do it! 

*Pearl*

Wow.. there's no words in the whole Webster Dictionary that can describe how good this was? Aw.. that's so nice! Thanks for the compliment of how I showed Vegeta/Goku/Frieza's thoughts and feelings on this fic. Enjoy this chapter!

*DBZ Fanfiction Queen*

LOL!! I like your review a lot *smiles* I e-mailed you a couple of minutes ago. I hope you like this!

*Carrots and Veggies*

LOL! Yeah, I get it. It's a 'cool' story. Oh, and I'm sorry Carrot almost died! I just thought that it'd shape up the fic a bit.. hey, and in 'Brother's Of Fusion' Vegeta almost died! So, now we're even. *smirks* 

*Noctorro*

Thanks for saying my fanfic was great. I'm sorry that it seemed a little fast at the end.. it was 11:00 and I had to get off the comp, so I wanted to finish it quickly O.o; 

*Teenage Saiyagirl*

I'm glad you liked the fic! And Vegeta's Final Flash is my fav attack he does too! Enjoy this epilogue! 

*Wildflame*

LOL! I can see you really hate my evil cliffhangers.. MWHAHA! Well, if I do a sequel, then you'll find more of my evil cliffhangers! *smirks*

*Kaz Valkyrie*

I LOVED YOUR REVIEW! You really think you read the winner of the horror category? That's awesome.. thanks for all of your compliments.. there's so much, I can't even count. I miss talking to you! I still visit your website by the way! It's so awesome! 

Well, it's been a rough ride for me writing this, but I've enjoyed every second. Enjoy this last chapter.. I know everyone of you will love it. And at the end, I'll add in a little A/N if I'm going to write a sequel or not. 

Oh, and you CAN vote for me in the contest!! If I get the most votes for this fanfic, then I'll win the contest!! *smiles* So, it's up to you reviewers to help me win! But of coarse, if you read a better horror fic than mine, vote for them, vote for me too. *smirks* 

Here's the url: http://www.gokugirl.com/contest/index.html

Go to the section called 'voting', and vote for whatever fics you want! Vote for my friend Kaz too.. she's an excellent writer. In poetry, I have a poem of mine, vote for it if you want! Well, enjoy this last chapter! 

___________________________________________________________________________________

__

***

The sun brings on a brand new day, 

but the memories still settle in some way

The blood, the screams, the horrific sound

Your pride getting cut more and more down

The thrill of the fight rushes through your veins,

forget all the anguish, all the utter pain

Your destiny resides now, meet it head on

Before your chance, disappears, and is gone

***

The setting sun roared over the horizon, making rainbow prisms with everything that it touched. The grass swayed back in forth simultaneously, as if it was in perfect harmony. The blue sky stretched out for miles, as if for an endless eternity of the aqua. Life was perfect, filled with no perils or deaths. Just simply peace and tranquility. The echoes of anguished cries and despair will always remain at that hospital staircase, nothing will ever change the fact. The crimson blood will always stain the wall, no matter how much the administrators paint it with a new coat. The aura of the stairwell will forever remain horrific, and will always contain the death of the universe's most feared tyrant -- Frieza. But, in Capsule Corp, one single soul remained with the memories of it all.. 

Vegeta walked outside; the lushness of it all overtaking the moment. Despite the fact that he will never actually admit it, earth had been a way better place to live than Planet Vegeta. It was all so beautiful.. he snapped his head to the right; there went Kakarot -- training as much as he could before the big battle. Yes, today was the day that the two were to go to the World Martial Arts Tournament -- and quickly defeat the rest of the weak competition, and finally square off in a fight. How exhilarating; just a few short hours after he had almost laid down on his death bed, he was going to fight his biggest rival. He hovered into the air, the wind already brushing through his blue gi, and took off into the horizon. 

Relief settled onto his heart, an unknown happiness fluttering through his system. Damn.. he hadn't felt this calm since approximately three weeks ago; before the damn nightmares were taking effect. Everything was peaceful now; without Frieza, and without the constant reminder that a killer was out there wanting to slaughter you. Finally.. everything was over. What happened there on that stairwell, he never wanted to remember again. It was like a thought that he wanted to push away, totally forget about; a part of him that ceased to exist anymore.. at least that's what he wanted it to be like. A swell of pride beat in his heart; he had finally beat that bitch. He had finally avenged his race, finally taken his masterful revenge for what that tyrant did to him. For all those damned years on his blasted ship, for all those years he was under his control, for all those years that he went under torment -- every waking moment was a plot of vengeance.. and he had finally obtained it! How great it felt.. it was like reaching a goal that you had longed and tried for all your life. He laughed, a smirk residing on his features. He could just picture the damn mother fucker in hell right now -- how mad he must've been! Ah well.. what goes around comes around, as the human saying goes. His arms spread apart and he somersaulted into the air, a feeling of pure enjoyment and relief. A laugh escaped his throat, and a feeling of total pleasure danced along his being. Life was great, life was wonderful -- and now, to beat Kakarot. 

***

A thrill filled his heart, a thrill that only a full-blooded saiyan could feel. The thrill before a great fight, and the satisfaction that you were to fight the best of opponents. Goku smiled warily, putting on his famous blue sweatbands on his wrists, fastening them just right. His orange gi and blue boots took residence on his body, his gravity defying hair standing tall against all odds. The emptiness of the house was almost frightening -- ChiChi and his family went ahead to the stadium without him; after all, they had to get good seats to see their father/husband fight. Knowing them, they'd probably sit next to Vegeta's family. Goku almost laughed at the thought; how could the two biggest rival's families be best friends? But then again, there was no exception for Vegeta and Goku -- they were best friends as well. There was naturally some unspoken bond between them, no one understood them like they understood each other. Could you imagine the fight? -- Two saiyans that are alike in fighting techniques battling for the win? Age old enemies, good best friends. That's how it always was.. damn. That's what got them through the fight with Frieza.. if it wasn't for their bond, they would've both died right then and there. But together, they always beat the odds. Damn.. what a hectic three weeks it had been. Nightmares, near deaths, and the final battle. But then again, that's what the life of a saiyan was -- adventure. He scanned his appearance in the mirror, perfect. A smirk was playing around on his lips, a definite picture of how a true warrior before a battle. He walked calmly, yet hastily towards the door, and took off with a burst of ki. Wow.. how beautiful everything was. The dominant setting sun was a rush of colors spiraling towards you; like a magic rainbow, a signal of the peace that the world represented now. The flurry of blue that was thrown right at you, like you were diving into a pool of harmony. The wind that was being forced towards you, and trying to put up a good fight, but against saiyans, the wind always lost. Goku whirled about in the wind, throwing various punches and kicks, warming up a bit. He wondered if Vegeta was doing the same at this very instant; probably thinking about winning the competition. There goes Vegeta for you.. never the one to just sit back and relax. But Goku hoped that after their ordeal with Frieza that it changed slightly; maybe he would spend more time with his family. Of coarse, nothing could keep the prince away from a good spar with Goku, but there were some miracles. The wind flushed back the saiyan's hair, and the distinctive roar of a crowd could be heard from the near distance. Ah.. the stadium. The excitement stabbed at his heart, and he soared down to meet a Vegeta that was crossing his arms, and that had already gotten his game face on. 

***

"Oh look, their starting the tournament!" 

Bulma snapped her head over to look at what Chi Chi was making a big commotion out of. 16 fighters were already lining up in the stadium floor, waving at their friends and families. Down below, Chi Chi happily waved down at a smiling Goku, and Goten and Gohan were doing just the same. Bulma bellowed a 'good luck' to Vegeta, but he didn't make a reply. She smirked, that was Vegeta for you. 

"Go get 'em Dad! You can do it!" 

Trunks was always the one to cheer for his father, no matter if he said anything back. It was the support you gave someone you loved that could explain their actions. With a few more cheers and compliments, the Sons' and the Briefs' sat down once more to converse. Chi Chi turned to Bulma, an excited expression filling her face. 

"Oh, this is so exciting.. my Goku against Vegeta! Who do you think will win?" 

"I don't know Chi Chi, I just hope their fight doesn't get interrupted like it did the last tournament." 

"I doubt it will Bulma.. I don't think anything could stop them now.. not _even _an enemy like Buu."

They looked at each other politely, both not revealing the sense of rivalry they felt. They calmly looked at their children and hastily looked away. Goten smiled at Trunks, and the purple-haired saiyan smiled back. The two loved it when their father's sparred -- it was a sight to see. And now, they were not only fighting for real, they were _competing _for the win. How can you get much better than that? Gohan, the still young attractive demi-saiyan, sat calmly, and looked onto the stadium with determined eyes. He knew their father's battle was going to be something to see. With the many battles the boy had witnessed, and fought himself, this one by far, would be the best. This rush of excitement boiled inside his heart -- finally, the age old question of who's better -- Goku or Vegeta -- would be answered. How thrilling.. there was nothing left to do but to see who would win.

***

A smirk resides on your lips right now, 

the fight of your life you'll win somehow

Your pride and your past is on the line,

all of this only fills your mind

Win, or lose, your lives will remain the same

Don't let a moment be in vain

***

The roar of the crowd roared above the sky, filling the full stadium up with the cries of excitement. The stadium lights were on -- it was very late at night, so what would you think? -- and two of the universe's strongest fighters were below the crowd, ready to begin their fight. Vegeta stood to the left, arching his body with clenched fistsm while Goku stood on the right, getting into his own, familiar fighting stance. Thunder sounded above them; aw, perfect. It was the perfect manifestation of their own storm powering inside of them. Goku smirked, a smirk that was seen many times, right before a great match. 

"Just to let you know Vegeta, I _am_ going to win.." 

"How can you assure that Kakarot? What are you going to do, murder me?" Vegeta added with a smirk. 

Goku's identical smirk was almost frightening. The degree of how much these two saiyans looked alike was so uncanny. To the untrained eye, anyone could've sworn they were related in _some _way. Goku chuckled a bit, and replied to his adversary. 

"Whatever it takes to win.." 

"Don't waste your breath Kakarot. You wouldn't even harm a fly.."

"Wanna bet?" 

"There's nothing for you to bet on Kakarot." 

The two saiyan warriors once more smirked at each other, and then locked eyes. They both had this fierce determination, and yet this anger towards one another, but there was still friendship. If anyone were to look into the eyes of a saiyan before a battle, it would be like looking into a pool of black of excitement, thrill, anger and control. Two cries echoed into the stadium walls, and gold electrocuted all around them, static of blue prancing around them. They charged towards each other, and extended their fists. Life was perfect, life was wonderful.. and their lives would always be like a battle -- exciting. 

***

Darkness apprehended him, in this endless void of black. The murkiness of hell was something he had always hated -- and now would hate it for all eternity. DAMN! He couldn't believe those two monkeys beat him _again_! It was laughable.. and now, Vegeta had beat him.. no, KILLED him! With the mother fucking help of that stupid monkey Goku. Damn them! His heart swelled with anger, his eyes blood-shot red with frustration. That was it.. he'd get them back and kill them even if his very life depended on it once more.. somehow, someway, he'd get out of this hell.. and when he would, Goku and Vegeta would see red. After all, crimson red is the shade of danger.. 

__

***

An enemy, long disappeared

But the anger will always remain here

There's anguish, angst, and anger

After all, crimson red is the shade of danger..

***

___________________________________________________________________________________

Did you like my poem? I did.. *smirks* Alright, alright. I'll do a sequel. *smiles* I already have a good idea for it, but in your reviews, why don't you help me out a bit? I need a really good plot on the sequel, so if you guys have any ideas, feel free to help me out! Well, until the sequel!

~Lisa a.k.a VegetaGokuLover~


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